Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Stock Price

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Free Report) had its price target reduced by Jefferies Financial Group from $135.00 to $116.00 in a report issued on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the medical research company's stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on A. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $143.00.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:A traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $106.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,120,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,874,870. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.19. Agilent Technologies has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $116.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $131.09.

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

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Agilent Technologies's payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Insider Activity

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the business'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 owns 35,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. The trade was a 4.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,657,456.28. The trade was a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 10,485 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.1% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 55,702 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $6,516,000 after buying an additional 595 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the first quarter worth about $273,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 36,674 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $4,279,000 after acquiring an additional 4,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,406 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Company 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.