Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Agilent by 0.2% in Q4 to 34,105,783 shares (an additional 67,117 shares), representing a 12.03% ownership worth about $4.64 billion.
• Agilent slightly missed the quarter—EPS $1.36 vs. $1.37 expected and revenue $1.80B vs. $1.81B—but revenue rose 7% year-over-year and management set FY2026 guidance of $5.900–$6.040 EPS (Q2 guidance $1.390–$1.420); analysts forecast about $5.95 EPS for the year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.255 (annualized $1.02, yield 0.9%, payout ratio 22.5%), trades at a $32.7B market cap with a P/E of 25.5, and carries a consensus "Buy" rating with a $163.71 target.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,105,783 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 67,117 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.03% of Agilent Technologies worth $4,640,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of A. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 490.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 236 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2,836.4% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 323 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $115.72 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $117.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.30. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.10 and a 1-year high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.59.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 18.26%.The company's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is 22.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on A. HSBC began coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of Agilent Technologies from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.71.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

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