Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Acquired by First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank boosted its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,004 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 1,531 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $1,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter worth $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 68.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 234 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 87.42% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:A opened at $136.94 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.72. The stock has a market cap of $39.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.98, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.06. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.16 and a 1-year high of $155.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 25th. The medical research company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.05. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.43% and a net margin of 19.80%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.248 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on A shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.62.

Agilent Technologies Profile

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.