Hsbc Holdings PLC Raises Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 978,420 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,051 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.34% of Agilent Technologies worth $131,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,306,805 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,250,276,000 after buying an additional 59,781 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,002,671 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $938,291,000 after acquiring an additional 53,992 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,213,739 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $700,414,000 after purchasing an additional 47,495 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $456,963,000. Finally, Cantillon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,316,557 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $445,546,000 after buying an additional 17,627 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $143.00.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $105.82. 353,081 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,868,904. The company's 50-day moving average price is $116.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.43 and a 52-week high of $155.35. The company has a market cap of $30.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.76%.

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.