Forsta AP Fonden Sells 8,800 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Forsta AP Fonden lessened its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,400 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 8,800 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $14,025,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of A. CKW Financial Group boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 114.9% during the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 187 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A opened at $147.20 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $139.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.50. The company has a market capitalization of $42.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.16 and a fifty-two week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.248 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.62.

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.