Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $159.3529.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on A. HSBC decreased 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 note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price target on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $549,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 87.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,233,964 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $695,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440,360 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,925,064,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713,216 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Agilent Technologies by 424.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,041,826 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $240,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652,244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 132.2% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $277,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,161 shares during the period.

Agilent Technologies Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE A opened at $141.34 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.10. Agilent Technologies has a one year low of $108.35 and a one year high of $160.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $133.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.03.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.08. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.55% and a return on equity of 24.33%. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.000-6.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.480-1.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Agilent Technologies will post 6.01 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.48%.

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.