Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 228,583 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 9,494 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.08% of Agilent Technologies worth $33,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 54.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 297,658 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $44,071,000 after purchasing an additional 105,336 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 20,222 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,003,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.5% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 646 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the third quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $150,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on A. Bank of America boosted their price target on Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $151.00 price target on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Monday, August 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Agilent Technologies in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $157.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.40.

Insider Transactions at Agilent Technologies

In related news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,801,595. This trade represents a 19.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Agilent Technologies stock opened at $137.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $39.65 billion, a PE ratio of 31.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.07. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.16 and a twelve month high of $155.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $137.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.37.

Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.248 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Agilent Technologies’s payout ratio is 21.27%.

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.