Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Stake Raised by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 35.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,714 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 3,076 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $1,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in A. Cardinal Capital Management raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 68,764 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,255,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 53.9% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 805 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 79.3% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,267 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $976,000 after purchasing an additional 3,214 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 44,315 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 15,927 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,140,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE A opened at $135.11 on Wednesday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.16 and a twelve month high of $155.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market cap of $38.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $141.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.31.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.38.

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.