Squarepoint Ops LLC Cuts Holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A)

Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 363,081 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 25,291 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.12% of Agilent Technologies worth $50,229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Delta Asset Management LLC TN acquired a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.42% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,500 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.78, for a total transaction of $415,730.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 24,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,876,732.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Rodney Gonsalves sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.78, for a total value of $415,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 24,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,876,732.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael R. Mcmullen sold 944 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $122,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 260,869 shares in the company, valued at $33,912,970. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Agilent Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE:A traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $112.72. 921,646 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,739,570. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.07 and a twelve month high of $160.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $121.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.03.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 15th. The medical research company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.66 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 16.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on A. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Agilent Technologies from $153.00 to $135.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 16th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their target price on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 16th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Finally, 888 reissued a “maintains” rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.12.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. 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; vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.