Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Given New $116.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) had its price target decreased by Jefferies Financial Group from $135.00 to $116.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on A. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Agilent Technologies from $161.00 to $159.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $138.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.00.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A opened at $100.29 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $118.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $28.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.19. Agilent Technologies has a 52-week low of $96.43 and a 52-week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.56% and a net margin of 19.27%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,615 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 4.7% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $663,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $535,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Dudley & Shanley Inc. purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,300,000.

About Agilent Technologies

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.