LGT Group Foundation Increases Stock Position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

LGT Group Foundation raised its holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,612 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in Xylem were worth $2,854,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. FFT Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xylem by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,368 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its position in shares of Xylem by 65.3% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 7,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 2,941 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Xylem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $289,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Xylem by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,527,487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $289,043,000 after buying an additional 16,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cannell & Co. raised its position in shares of Xylem by 576.8% in the fourth quarter. Cannell & Co. now owns 77,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,884,000 after buying an additional 66,205 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Xylem Price Performance

Xylem stock opened at $137.21 on Friday. Xylem Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.59 and a 52-week high of $138.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $128.64 and a 200-day moving average of $115.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.83, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 8.95%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.2 EPS for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This is an increase from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is 51.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Franz Cerwinka sold 2,408 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.79, for a total value of $293,270.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,750 shares in the company, valued at $1,431,032.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Xylem news, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total transaction of $122,890.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,682.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Franz Cerwinka sold 2,408 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.79, for a total transaction of $293,270.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,750 shares in the company, valued at $1,431,032.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Xylem from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Xylem from $126.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Xylem from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Xylem from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Xylem from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.70.

Xylem Profile

Xylem Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and servicing of engineered products and solutions worldwide. It operates through four segments: Water Infrastructure, Applied Water, Measurement & Control Solutions, and Integrated Solutions and Services. The Water Infrastructure segment offers products, including water, storm water, and wastewater pumps; controls and systems; filtration, disinfection, and biological treatment equipment; and mobile dewatering equipment and rental services under the ADI, Flygt, Godwin, Sanitaire, Magneto, Neptune Benson, Ionpure, Leopold, Wedeco, and Xylem Vue brands.