Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A Stock: Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Decreases Holdings

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 90.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,750 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 57,430 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investment Research Partners LLC raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 1.8% during the third quarter. Investment Research Partners LLC now owns 3,646 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 8,117 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Plan A Wealth LLC now owns 3,567 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $615,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,650 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aspiriant LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 3,786 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:A traded up $0.97 during trading on Friday, hitting $173.99. 1,415,195 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,113,410. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.25, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $168.41 and its 200-day moving average is $138.19. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $108.35 and a one year high of $182.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.45% and a net margin of 19.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th were given a $0.2550 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mikael Dolsten sold 634 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.38, for a total transaction of $95,974.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $745,395.12. The trade was a 11.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $190.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.45.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

Agilent Technologies develops and supplies instruments, software, services and consumables used in laboratories and manufacturing operations. Its offerings support applications in life sciences, diagnostics, chemical analysis, food safety, environmental testing and pharmaceutical research. The company serves customers worldwide, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, clinical and academic laboratories, and organizations in the chemical, energy and food industries. Its services include laboratory equipment maintenance, technical support and related workflow solutions.