Agilent Technologies Slides Ahead of Earnings as Investors Appear Cautious

Agilent Technologies (A) is down 3.5% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The most likely driver appears to be investor caution ahead of Agilent’s fiscal third-quarter results, which are scheduled for August 26, 2026. This could be because the shares had already recovered toward prior highs after the company raised its full-year outlook in May, leaving less room for error if the upcoming report or guidance disappoints.

Details:

Agilent said on July 28 that it plans to release fiscal third-quarter 2026 results after the market closes on August 26, putting the stock in a typical pre-earnings risk window.

In its most recent quarterly release, the company reported second-quarter revenue of $1.83 billion, non-GAAP EPS of $1.49, and raised full-year 2026 revenue growth, margin, and EPS guidance.

That same release included third-quarter guidance for revenue of $1.83 billion to $1.85 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $1.48 to $1.50, which can heighten sensitivity to any sign of slowing momentum.

Recent analyst target data showed the average target sitting only modestly above the recent share price, which may have encouraged profit-taking as the earnings date approached.

Sources:

Agilent Investor Relations, SEC, Investing.com

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$A Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 594 institutional investors add shares of $A stock to their portfolio, and 548 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

CALIFORNIA STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM added 54,138,451 shares (+12343.3%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $7,191,210,446
GENERATION INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLP removed 4,180,266 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $476,466,718
FMR LLC added 4,159,361 shares (+453.7%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $552,487,921
CANTILLON CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC removed 2,619,392 shares (-95.4%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $347,933,839
MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES CO /MA/ removed 2,613,223 shares (-20.7%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $347,114,411
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP added 2,440,360 shares (+87.4%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $324,153,018
T. ROWE PRICE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. added 2,432,079 shares (+45.7%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $323,053,053

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$A Government Contracts

We have seen $45,261,680 of award payments to $A over the last year.

Here are some of the awards which we have have seen pay out the most over the last year:

THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT IS TO PURCHASE AGILENT BULK RESOLUTION TECHNOLOGY (BRT) UNITS AND ASSOCIATED M...: $7,498,510
TO FURTHER DEVELOP AND PROCURE BULK RESOLUTION TECHNOLOGY (BRT) UNITS TO SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (...: $3,326,040
GC/MS SYSTEM: $1,242,119
NEW PURCHASE, INSTRUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF SYNTHETIC ORGANOFLUORINE CHEMICALS. THIS ...: $800,288
TITLE: MS GC/FID REF AWARD/BPA: 15DDHQ20A00000038: $714,465

To track government contracts to publicy traded companies, check out Quiver Quantitative's government contracts dashboard. You can access data on government contracts through the Quiver Quantitative API government contracts endpoint.

$A Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $A recently. We have seen 12 analysts offer price targets for $A in the last 6 months, with a median target of $155.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Vijay Kumar from Evercore ISI Group set a target price of $148.0 on 07/06/2026
Eve Burstein from Bernstein set a target price of $155.0 on 06/26/2026
Luke Sergott from Barclays set a target price of $150.0 on 06/24/2026
David Westenberg from Piper Sandler set a target price of $150.0 on 06/11/2026
Sidharth Sahoo from HSBC set a target price of $165.0 on 06/03/2026
Derik De Bruin from B of A Securities set a target price of $155.0 on 06/02/2026
Dan Leonard from RBC Capital set a target price of $155.0 on 05/28/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.