Baker Avenue Asset Management LP Trims Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Baker Avenue Asset Management LP reduced its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,495 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 157 shares during the quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 114.8% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the second quarter valued at $39,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,801,595. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $283,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,497,110. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,801,595. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,995 shares of company stock worth $1,739,510 over the last three months.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on A. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $151.00 price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group increased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.36.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A traded down $2.95 on Friday, hitting $136.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,918,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,560,934. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $139.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.21. The stock has a market cap of $39.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.36, a P/E/G ratio of 6.06 and a beta of 1.07. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $104.09 and a one year high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.06. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.26% and a net margin of 21.75%. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.236 dividend. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.50%.

Agilent Technologies Profile

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.