Shell Asset Management Co. Has $4.11 Million Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Shell Asset Management Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 22.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,553 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 8,515 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $4,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 192 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 107.3% in the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 257 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 284 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

A stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $132.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,365,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,965,130. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $142.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $137.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.80 and a 1 year high of $155.35. The stock has a market cap of $38.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.44, a PEG ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.07.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 29th. The medical research company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 26.25% and a net margin of 18.84%. The business had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.236 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 2nd. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on A. Barclays cut their price target on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 31st. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $163.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $147.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down from $152.00) on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.50.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Philip Binns sold 2,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.54, for a total transaction of $417,095.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,474,957.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Philip Binns sold 2,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.54, for a total transaction of $417,095.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,474,957.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $254,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 25,185 shares in the company, valued at $3,274,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

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.