Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Upgraded at Hsbc Global Res

Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Rothschild Redb upgraded Agilent Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.50.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:A opened at $138.66 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $143.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 1.29. Agilent Technologies has a 52-week low of $96.43 and a 52-week high of $160.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.96.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 25.20%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. 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. Analysts expect that Agilent Technologies will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $0.255 per share. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 6th. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 12,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $1,873,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 33,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,017,200. The trade was a 27.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 31,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,935,811.54. The trade was a 8.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 16,401 shares of company stock worth $2,468,962.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,663 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $626,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,610 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $602,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 54.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 599 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $273,000.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company’s product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett‑Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.