Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by Exchange Bank

Exchange Bank trimmed its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,720 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 116 shares during the period. Exchange Bank’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position 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 in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $147.57 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $136.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.50. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.16 and a 52-week high of $155.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on A. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.