Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE has reduced its stake in Agilent Technologies by 5.7%, bringing its holdings to 60,341 shares, valued at approximately $7.06 million.
• While US Bancorp DE decreased its position, GAMMA Investing LLC significantly increased its holdings by 15,648.1%, acquiring 627,247 shares worth around $73.38 million.
• Recent analyst reports have tempered price targets for Agilent Technologies, with Wells Fargo cutting its target from $155.00 to $135.00 and others following suit, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

US Bancorp DE trimmed its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,341 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 3,655 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $7,059,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of A. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 640.0% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 286.2% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 251 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A traded up $0.45 on Friday, hitting $114.43. 492,062 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,998,411. The business's fifty day moving average is $117.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.09. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.43 and a 12 month high of $153.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.22.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st were paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.44%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,508 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total value of $177,099.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,397,893.12. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.77.

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.