Candriam S.C.A. Increases Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 65.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 882,230 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 348,764 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned about 0.31% of Agilent Technologies worth $113,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,997,845 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,012,086,000 after purchasing an additional 589,219 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 13,227,387 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,560,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273,994 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,319,530 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $860,137,000 after acquiring an additional 115,183 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 5,775,860 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $681,609,000 after acquiring an additional 792,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $395,088,000. 87.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.1%

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $129.76 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $36.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.30. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $160.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $139.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.26. 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 earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.20% and a net margin of 18.75%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. Equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th were paid a $0.255 dividend. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 6th. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.50.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

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

About Agilent Technologies

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.