Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $164.50.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on A. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Evercore upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Agilent Technologies Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $126.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $35.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Agilent Technologies has a 12-month low of $96.43 and a 12-month high of $160.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $136.50 and its 200-day moving average is $135.55.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 18.75% and a return on equity of 25.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. Agilent Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.860-6.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. This represents a $1.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.32%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total value of $464,970.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 31,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. This represents a 8.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of A. Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 10,600.0% in the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies is a global provider of scientific instrumentation, consumables, software and services for laboratories across the life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company’s product portfolio includes analytical instruments such as liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectroscopy systems, and laboratory automation solutions, together with reagents, supplies and informatics tools that support measurement, testing and data analysis workflows. Agilent also offers instrument maintenance, qualification and laboratory services designed to help customers improve productivity and comply with regulatory requirements.

Founded as a corporate spin-off from Hewlett?Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved through a combination of strategic restructuring and acquisitions to concentrate on life sciences, diagnostics and applied laboratories.