Groupe la Francaise Purchases 5,333 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Groupe la Francaise increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,596 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 5,333 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $395,088,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 10.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 13,227,387 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,560,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273,994 shares during the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 4,983,556 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $582,976,000 after acquiring an additional 824,243 shares during the period. M&G PLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 255.2% in the 2nd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 893,121 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $105,388,000 after acquiring an additional 641,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 3,836,105 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $448,748,000 after purchasing an additional 604,124 shares during the period. 87.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:A opened at $149.31 on Thursday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.43 and a 12 month high of $160.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $143.87 and its 200 day moving average is $127.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.33 billion, a PE ratio of 32.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 1.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.01. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 25.20%. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.860-6.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be paid a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Insider Activity

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 911 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $130,491.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 32,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,591,987.92. This represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total transaction of $464,970.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 31,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. This trade represents a 8.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 16,401 shares of company stock valued at $2,468,962 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Rothschild Redb raised Agilent Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.08.

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.