Hsbc Holdings PLC Boosts Stake in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,185,663 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 93,662 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $157,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 599,581 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $82,712,000 after buying an additional 24,687 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth about $58,539,000. Dudley & Shanley Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 25.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dudley & Shanley Inc. now owns 69,500 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,232,000 after purchasing an additional 14,300 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC bought a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $834,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in Agilent Technologies by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 33,918 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $4,615,000 after purchasing an additional 9,615 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

NYSE A opened at $154.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $43.72 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.25. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.35 and a 52-week high of $160.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $138.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.47.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.33% and a net margin of 19.55%.The business’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on A. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Thursday, July 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.24.

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.