Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by SouthState Corp

SouthState Corp reduced its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,140 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 444 shares during the period. SouthState Corp’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $169,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of A. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Agilent Technologies by 114.8% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:A opened at $125.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $138.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $112.39 and a 52-week high of $155.35.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 21.75% and a return on equity of 25.26%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.236 per share. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 19.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on A shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at $5,801,595. This represents a 19.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $283,910.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 24,118 shares in the company, valued at $3,497,110. This trade represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,995 shares of company stock worth $1,739,510.

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.