Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on KEYS. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Keysight Technologies from $167.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Keysight Technologies from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Keysight Technologies from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Barclays raised shares of Keysight Technologies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $158.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Keysight Technologies from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Keysight Technologies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.89.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KEYS opened at $149.37 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Keysight Technologies has a 52-week low of $119.72 and a 52-week high of $166.28.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. Keysight Technologies had a net margin of 18.24% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Keysight Technologies will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard P. Hamada sold 1,632 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $254,592.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 42,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,576,960. This represents a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 93.9% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,631 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its position in Keysight Technologies by 49.9% during the 1st quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,752 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Keysight Technologies during the first quarter valued at about $249,000. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 55.5% during the first quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,637 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 71.2% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 20,849 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 8,668 shares during the last quarter. 84.58% of the stock is owned by 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.