Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Stock Price

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) had its target price decreased by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $135.00 to $116.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.81% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $143.00.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $102.83 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.80. Agilent Technologies has a twelve month low of $96.43 and a twelve month high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 1,908 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.98, for a total transaction of $232,737.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,657,456.28. This trade represents a 8.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel K. Podolsky sold 1,819 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.46, for a total transaction of $211,840.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,161,931.02. This trade represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Institutional Trading of Agilent Technologies

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 5.2% in the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,615 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $537,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 4.7% in the 3rd 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. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $535,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,752 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dudley & Shanley Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $8,300,000.

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.