Equities analysts have recently commented on Agilent Technologies, Inc., with several analysts increasing their price targets on the company’s stock. Agilent Technologies, Inc. provides application-focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. The company’s segments include Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. Agilent Technologies’ stock buyback program, authorized by the company’s Board of Directors, is another indication that the company may believe its shares are undervalued. Additionally, the company has declared a quarterly dividend, which is payable to shareholders of record. Agilent Technologies’ earnings per share for the quarter were higher than the consensus estimate, and the company’s revenue for the quarter was up compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies is expected to post an EPS of 5.68 for the current year.
Romano Brothers and Company, a hedge fund, recently acquired 738 shares in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) during the fourth quarter, according to the company’s latest disclosure. This purchase adds Romano Brothers and Company to a list of several other institutional investors who have also bought and sold shares of Agilent Technologies.
BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter, while Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings by 1.0% in the same period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD and State Street Corp also increased their holdings during the last quarter, by 1.4% and 0.6%, respectively. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter.
Shares of Agilent Technologies opened at $131.96 on Monday, with a market capitalization of $39.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.79, a PEG ratio of 1.92, and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.11, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock’s fifty-day simple moving average is $146.42, and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.19. Agilent Technologies’ stock hit a twelve-month low of $112.52 and a twelve-month high of $160.26.
Agilent Technologies, a medical research company listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol A, reported quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The company posted earnings of $1.37 per share, beating the consensus estimate by $0.06, with revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter. This revenue is 4.9% higher than the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.09% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The company is expected to post an EPS of 5.68 for the current year.
On Monday, January 9th, Agilent Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program worth $2.00 billion, allowing the company to repurchase up to 4.4% of its stock through open market purchases. This move suggests that the company believes its shares are undervalued.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.225, payable on Wednesday, April 26th. Shareholders of record as of Tuesday, April 4th will receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 3rd. The annualized dividend is $0.90, with a yield of 0.68%. Agilent Technologies has a dividend payout ratio of 20.32%.
There have been no recent changes in analyst ratings for Agilent Technologies.
Agilent Technologies, Inc. has been rated by several equities analysts in recent times. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. SVB Leerink increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 10th.
Robert W. Baird also upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $152.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 20th.
According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.31. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating, and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock.
Agilent Technologies, Inc. provides application-focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers instruments and software that identify, quantify, and analyze physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as instruments and software used in the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level.
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