Noesis Capital Mangement Corp Purchases 3,382 Shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Noesis Capital Mangement Corp grew its position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 118,689 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 3,382 shares during the quarter. Agilent Technologies comprises 3.0% of Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $15,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,726,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 2.5% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 3,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $532,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 5.0% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 7,661 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 14.9% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 3,087 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 11.9% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A stock opened at $127.83 on Friday. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.16 and a 12-month high of $155.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $140.64 and a 200-day moving average of $139.14.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 25.56%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Insider Activity at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 1,911 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $286,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,947,800. The trade was a 4.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on A. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $157.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays raised shares of Agilent Technologies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Agilent Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Agilent Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.15.

About Agilent Technologies

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.