Meridiem Capital Partners LP Acquires Shares of 219,530 Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Meridiem Capital Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 219,530 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $29,492,000. Agilent Technologies comprises about 2.6% of Meridiem Capital Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Meridiem Capital Partners LP owned approximately 0.08% of Agilent Technologies at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CKW Financial Group lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 161.1% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 188 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

A traded up $1.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $113.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,811,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,903,928. Agilent Technologies, Inc. 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 quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.59 and a 200 day moving average of $128.32. The company has a market cap of $32.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $143.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.