M&G PLC Has $116.70 Million Position in Agilent Technologies, Inc. $A

M&G PLC lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 2.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 911,689 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 18,568 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $116,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $395,088,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 424.1% during the second 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 period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $277,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340,161 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 13,227,387 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,560,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273,994 shares during the period. Finally, Troy Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 74.3% in the 2nd quarter. Troy Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,397,820 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $282,967,000 after buying an additional 1,021,865 shares in the last quarter.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE A opened at $125.80 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $137.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.43 and a 1 year high of $160.27.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The medical research company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.01. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.20% and a net margin of 18.75%.The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Agilent Technologies has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.860-6.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.255 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on A shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $142.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Evercore upgraded Agilent Technologies from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Agilent Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $164.50.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 911 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $130,491.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 32,058 shares in the company, valued at $4,591,987.92. The trade was a 2.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.99, for a total transaction of $464,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 31,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,935,811.54. This trade represents a 8.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

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.