DnB Asset Management AS Raises Position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

DnB Asset Management AS increased its stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 17.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,474 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,728 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Xylem were worth $12,237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xylem during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Xylem during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xylem in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Xylem by 122.4% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Xylem by 69.5% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xylem Price Performance

Shares of Xylem stock opened at $119.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $29.02 billion, a PE ratio of 32.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $125.70 and a 200 day moving average of $125.88. Xylem Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.26 and a 52 week high of $146.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.06. Xylem had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 9.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of Xylem in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Xylem from $166.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Xylem from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Xylem from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.89.

Xylem Company 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.