Van ECK Associates Corp Purchases 1,223,694 Shares of Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) by 105.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,383,143 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,223,694 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Keysight Technologies were worth $379,134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Ridge Investment Management bought a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $22,150,000. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Keysight Technologies by 47.7% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,554 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Keysight Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $395,000. Dohj LLC bought a new stake in shares of Keysight Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $418,000. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Keysight Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,535,000. 84.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

Keysight Technologies stock traded up $1.62 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $150.17. 950,665 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,223,892. Keysight Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.57 and a 12 month high of $172.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The business has a 50 day moving average of $152.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.05.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.04. Keysight Technologies had a return on equity of 26.84% and a net margin of 18.14%. The business had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Keysight Technologies, Inc. will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on KEYS shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Keysight Technologies from $134.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Keysight Technologies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $184.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $157.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.63.

Insider Activity at Keysight Technologies

In other Keysight Technologies news, SVP Kailash Narayanan sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.88, for a total value of $657,384.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,156 shares in the company, valued at $4,457,369.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Keysight Technologies Company Profile

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.