SEB Asset Management AB Takes $6.30 Million Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

SEB Asset Management AB bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 55,270 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,300,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $549,158,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Agilent Technologies by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 14,147,601 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,925,064,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713,216 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $240,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652,244 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 132.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,354,111 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $277,807,000 after buying an additional 1,340,161 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 192.0% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,412,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $192,204,000 after buying an additional 928,821 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.41% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE A opened at $133.04 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $160.27. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.47. The firm has a market cap of $37.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.25.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The medical research company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.08. The company 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%.Agilent Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 6.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.255 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is presently 20.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on A. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Agilent Technologies in a report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $150.00 to $145.00 in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $159.35.

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.