Two Sigma Advisers LP Purchases 399,100 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 380.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 504,000 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 399,100 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.18% of Agilent Technologies worth $67,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sienna Gestion raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 29.8% during the fourth quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 78,445 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $10,537,000 after buying an additional 17,991 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 33,898 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $4,554,000 after acquiring an additional 2,664 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 73,273 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $9,843,000 after acquiring an additional 10,128 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 43,862 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $5,892,000 after acquiring an additional 3,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 49,288 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $6,621,000 after purchasing an additional 6,802 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.4%

A opened at $113.32 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.20. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $110.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.99. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $96.43 and a one year high of $154.95. The stock has a market cap of $32.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares in the company, valued at $2,657,456.28. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at $4,161,931.02. This trade represents a 4.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on A shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. TD Cowen increased their target price on Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $143.00.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.

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