Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Shares Up 3.9% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Agilent shares rose 3.9% to about $171.72, while trading volume was 93% below the average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $170.33; several firms recently raised their targets to $180–$190.
• Agilent exceeded quarterly expectations with $1.62 in EPS and $1.88 billion in revenue, up 8.1% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.255 per share, yielding approximately 0.6%.

Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) traded up 3.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $169.89 and last traded at $171.7230. 157,718 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 2,258,314 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on A shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Agilent Technologies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, HSBC cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.33.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $147.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.70. The company has a market cap of $47.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.37, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.13. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 19.53%.The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be given a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.08%.

Insider Activity

In other Agilent Technologies news, Director Mikael Dolsten sold 634 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.38, for a total transaction of $95,974.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $745,395.12. This trade represents a 11.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,854,230 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,710,658,000 after buying an additional 89,598 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,425,861 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,006,519,000 after acquiring an additional 25,139 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,454,686 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $990,206,000 after acquiring an additional 198,253 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,008,634 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $930,957,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,516 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 87.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,233,964 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $695,227,000 after purchasing an additional 2,440,360 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.41% of the company's stock.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc is a global provider of analytical instruments, laboratory software, consumables and services used by organizations in the life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental and food industries. Its solutions help customers analyze the composition and quality of substances, develop and manufacture products, and conduct research and testing.

The company's offerings include liquid and gas chromatography systems, mass spectrometry instruments, spectroscopy and atomic analysis equipment, automated electrophoresis systems, laboratory informatics software, columns and other consumables.

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