Swedbank AB Buys 168,296 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 102.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 332,316 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 168,296 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $45,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 490.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 236 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

NYSE A opened at $118.49 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.97. The company has a current ratio of 2.07, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.55 and a 12-month high of $160.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.22.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 18.26%.The firm had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.900-6.040 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.420 EPS. Analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.255 dividend. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 22.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on A. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $157.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.71.

Agilent Technologies 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.