ING Groep NV Cuts Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

ING Groep NV reduced its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 36.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,747 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 9,691 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $2,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 3.8% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,799 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,129,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $813,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 21,370 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,743,000 after purchasing an additional 3,546 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 65.4% in the 3rd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 882,230 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $113,234,000 after purchasing an additional 348,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $194,000.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 31,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. The trade was a 8.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 911 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $130,491.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 32,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,591,987.92. This trade represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.50.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of A opened at $125.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.52. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $96.43 and a 1-year high of $160.27. The stock has a market cap of $35.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.30.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.20% and a net margin of 18.75%.Agilent Technologies’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. 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 analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

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.