By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,290,000 shares, an increase of 13.1% from the January 15th total of 2,910,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,810,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have weighed in on A. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.62.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Stock Performance
Agilent Technologies stock opened at $148.69 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $42.47 billion, a PE ratio of 33.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $140.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Agilent Technologies has a 12 month low of $124.16 and a 12 month high of $155.35.
Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.38 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.
Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.40%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 14.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,858 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 0.9% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 38,345 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,971,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 23.8% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 40,485 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,248,000 after buying an additional 7,791 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the second quarter worth $2,102,000. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth $2,726,000. Institutional investors own 87.42% of the company’s stock.
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.
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