Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) in a research report issued on Wednesday. The firm set an “outperform” rating and a $153.00 price target on the medical research company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 32.70% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $157.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Agilent Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $162.40.

Agilent Technologies Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of A opened at $115.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $32.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 2.07. Agilent Technologies has a 52 week low of $108.35 and a 52 week high of $160.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.01.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The medical research company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.01). Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 24.49% and a net margin of 18.26%.The company had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Agilent Technologies will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Agilent Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $549,158,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,925,064,000 after acquiring an additional 1,713,216 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Agilent Technologies by 424.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,652,244 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,340,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 192.0% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,412,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $192,204,000 after acquiring an additional 928,821 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.41% of the company’s stock.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

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.