William Blair Investment Management LLC Trims Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management trimmed its Agilent Technologies stake by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 81,077 shares and ending with 2.06 million shares valued at about $280.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted holdings, and 87.41% of Agilent’s stock is owned by institutions and hedge funds, highlighting heavy professional ownership.
• Analysts remain broadly positive despite some target cuts and one downgrade: Agilent carries a consensus Buy rating with a $163.71 target price, while the company also recently reported a slight earnings miss and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share.

William Blair Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,063,009 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 81,077 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies accounts for approximately 0.8% of William Blair Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.73% of Agilent Technologies worth $280,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 120,784 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $16,435,000 after purchasing an additional 36,993 shares during the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,474 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,969 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $68,000. Finally, Plan A Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 2,959 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 87.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on A shares. Barclays cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Agilent Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $157.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.71.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A opened at $115.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $114.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.56. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $107.07 and a 1-year high of $160.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 24.49%. The business's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 22.52%.

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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