UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Purchases 604,124 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 18.7%, owning over 3.8 million shares valued at approximately $448.7 million as per the latest SEC filing.
• Agilent Technologies' stock has received mixed feedback from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target average of $139.25.
• In recent insider transactions, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares at around $117.44, marking a 3.87% decrease in their ownership.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 18.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,836,105 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 604,124 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 1.35% of Agilent Technologies worth $448,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of A. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 0.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,408,626 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $3,908,141,000 after purchasing an additional 240,965 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 2.5% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,341,870 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $624,888,000 after buying an additional 128,131 shares during the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 4,983,556 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $582,976,000 after purchasing an additional 824,243 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,931,794 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $342,961,000 after acquiring an additional 102,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,287,302 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $267,569,000 after purchasing an additional 179,101 shares during the last quarter. 87.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on A. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Leerink Partners upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $139.25.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of A stock traded down $3.54 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $123.19. 1,250,804 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,689,851. The business has a 50 day moving average of $119.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.43 and a 52 week high of $153.84. The company has a market capitalization of $34.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.92, a PEG ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 27th. The medical research company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.37. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.97% and a return on equity of 25.51%. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.560-5.590 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.570-1.600 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

About Agilent Technologies

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.