Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Cuts Stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 48,824 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 411 shares during the period. Xylem comprises about 1.1% of Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Xylem were worth $6,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of Xylem during the 1st quarter valued at about $311,684,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Xylem by 56.4% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,013,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $130,961,000 after buying an additional 365,420 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Xylem by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,255,528 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,582,000 after buying an additional 362,840 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Xylem by 246.6% in the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 324,504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,012,000 after acquiring an additional 230,878 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xylem during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,234,000. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on XYL shares. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Xylem in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Xylem from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Xylem from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group initiated coverage on Xylem in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Xylem from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.67.

Xylem Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE:XYL opened at $136.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $33.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.04. Xylem Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.59 and a twelve month high of $146.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.87.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 9.48%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Xylem Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 29th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 29th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Xylem’s payout ratio is 51.25%.

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.