Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC Buys New Shares in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 332 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in A. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.42% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:A opened at $147.57 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $136.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.39, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.16 and a 52 week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. 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 business earned $1.38 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.248 dividend. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays reduced their price target on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.62.

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.