Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $186.20 and last traded at $185.18, with a volume of 923854 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $184.69.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KEYS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on Keysight Technologies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Keysight Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Keysight Technologies from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Keysight Technologies from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.22.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.32 billion, a PE ratio of 50.10, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $169.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mark Adam Wallace sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.79, for a total value of $970,740.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 85,829 shares in the company, valued at $13,886,273.91. This represents a 6.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jeffrey K. Li sold 4,412 shares of Keysight Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.92, for a total value of $758,511.04. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,267,113.04. This represents a 12.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,063 shares of company stock valued at $5,573,941. 0.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Keysight Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEYS. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 364.6% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 4,652,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $747,301,000 after acquiring an additional 3,650,953 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Keysight Technologies by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 16,114,952 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,588,546,000 after purchasing an additional 3,621,349 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Keysight Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $320,707,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 343.6% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,008,192 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $161,946,000 after buying an additional 780,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Keysight Technologies by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,958,274 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $637,125,000 after buying an additional 704,920 shares during the period. 84.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.