Wall Street Zen Downgrades Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Agilent Technologies from buy to hold, even as the broader analyst consensus still leans positive with an average Buy rating and a $163.71 price target.
• Several firms have cut price targets on Agilent recently, including Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Barclays, reflecting some caution around the stock despite continued overweight/buy ratings from many analysts.
• Agilent’s latest earnings slightly missed expectations, with EPS of $1.36 versus $1.37 expected and revenue of $1.80 billion versus $1.81 billion expected, though revenue still rose 7% year over year.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.71.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A opened at $115.52 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $32.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.22. Agilent Technologies has a 1-year low of $106.79 and a 1-year high of $160.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.59.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 18.26%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company's product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.

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