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

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Free Report) had its price target trimmed by UBS Group from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the medical research company's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $116.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $159.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays lowered 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 research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.15.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock traded down $1.45 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $111.83. The company had a trading volume of 4,751,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,943,133. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.47. The stock has a market cap of $31.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Agilent Technologies has a 12-month low of $96.43 and a 12-month high of $153.84.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 17.59% and a return on equity of 25.92%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Agilent Technologies will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total value of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares in the company, 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $456,963,000. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 19.8% during the first quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 4,983,556 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $582,976,000 after purchasing an additional 824,243 shares in the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $94,051,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 15,648.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 627,247 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $73,375,000 after purchasing an additional 623,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 18.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 3,836,105 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $448,748,000 after purchasing an additional 604,124 shares in the last quarter.

About Agilent Technologies

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.