Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A – Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The medical research company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.01, MarketWatch Earnings reports. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 27.04% and a net margin of 18.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS.

Shares of NYSE:A traded down $1.57 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $124.41. 2,149,569 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,088,196. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.58, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.64. Agilent Technologies has a 12-month low of $112.64 and a 12-month high of $179.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $127.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.27.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 1st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.32%.

In related news, SVP Michael Tang sold 1,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.21, for a total value of $164,814.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 142.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 485 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $60,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 52.1% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,334 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the last quarter.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on A. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 23rd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $179.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 23rd. Truist Financial downgraded Agilent Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 19th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $155.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 23rd. Finally, Cowen decreased their price target on Agilent Technologies from $187.00 to $178.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.08.

About Agilent Technologies (Get Rating)

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. 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; vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.

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