Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $8.39 Million Investment in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 63,180 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,392,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,663 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $626,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 15.9% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,610 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $602,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 54.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 599 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $273,000.

Trending Headlines about Agilent Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Agilent Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Agilent reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $1.88 billion, up 8.1% year over year and ahead of the $1.84 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS was $1.62, beating expectations of approximately $1.49 and rising from $1.37 a year earlier. Operating profit, cash flow and margins also improved. Agilent Reports Third-Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its fiscal 2026 outlook to adjusted EPS of $6.18-$6.21, above the $6.06 analyst consensus, and projected approximately $7.5 billion in revenue versus expectations of $7.4 billion. Management cited improving demand for laboratory instruments used in research and drug development. Agilent raises annual profit forecast on improving lab tools demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment strengthened significantly following the results. Citigroup and JPMorgan raised their price targets to $190, while RBC lifted its target to $185. Barclays, Stifel, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, TD Cowen and Bernstein also raised targets, with most assigning Buy, Overweight or Outperform ratings. The revised targets imply roughly 11%-21% potential upside from the referenced trading level. Analyst price-target revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Agilent is trading near its 52-week high and above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. That momentum supports investor confidence, although the stock’s valuation—around 32 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.7—leaves less room for disappointment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed in the latest filings: 594 investors added shares while 550 reduced holdings. Significant purchases by FMR, JPMorgan, Bank of New York Mellon and T. Rowe Price were offset by large sales from several other institutions.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

Agilent Technologies stock opened at $157.60 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.51 billion, a PE ratio of 31.02, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $163.75. The company’s 50-day moving average is $139.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.85.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The medical research company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.53% and a return on equity of 24.84%. Agilent Technologies’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. Agilent Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.710-1.740 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.180-6.210 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on A shares. HSBC dropped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.33.

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.