Impax Asset Management Group plc Has $380.11 Million Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,829,429 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 161,813 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies comprises approximately 1.7% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $380,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB bought a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth $2,726,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $12,961,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 173.6% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 27,113 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,026,000 after purchasing an additional 17,203 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 7.7% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,732 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 1.1 %

A opened at $135.33 on Monday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.16 and a fifty-two week high of $155.35. The company has a market capitalization of $38.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $140.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.34.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 25.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup raised their target price on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.38.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the 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 owns 39,652 shares in the company, valued at $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

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.