Robeco Schweiz AG Increases Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Robeco Schweiz AG grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,156,536 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,677 shares during the period. Agilent Technologies comprises 3.3% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $155,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of A. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 458 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.5% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 646 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 491 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 5,049 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $750,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.5% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 3,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of A stock opened at $134.51 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.90 and a 200 day moving average of $139.28. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.16 and a 52 week high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.43, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 22.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Agilent Technologies news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $286,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,947,800. This trade represents a 4.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Agilent Technologies Company 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.