Windward Capital Management Co. CA Lowers Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Windward Capital Management Co. CA lessened its stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,948 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 377 shares during the period. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in A. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 13,200 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,773,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,821 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. KPP Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Agilent Technologies by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,056 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 2,506 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 8,036 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of A stock opened at $147.06 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $140.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.09. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.16 and a 1 year high of $155.35. The firm has a market cap of $42.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.27, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.07.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.248 dividend. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 22.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on A shares. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $143.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $286,650.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

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.