EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 957 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 33,898 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,554,000 after purchasing an additional 2,664 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 71,413 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,594,000 after buying an additional 4,432 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $416,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 57.9% during the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,296 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the period. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 47.8% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:A opened at $122.63 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $117.17 and a 1 year high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $137.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.82.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on A. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Barclays raised shares of Agilent Technologies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Agilent Technologies 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.