Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after StockNews.com downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a hold rating. The stock had previously closed at $134.49, but opened at $127.02. Agilent Technologies shares last traded at $128.54, with a volume of 240,432 shares changing hands.

A has been the topic of a number of other reports. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $144.07.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,801,595. The trade was a 19.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Institutional Trading of Agilent Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,752 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $535,000. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 4.7% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $663,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.2% during the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,615 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at $236,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $38.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.87, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $137.74 and a 200-day moving average of $137.43.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 19.50%.

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.