Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.90.

A number of brokerages recently commented on XYL. Wolfe Research reiterated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Xylem in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Xylem from $166.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup lowered shares of Xylem from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Xylem from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th.

Xylem Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XYL opened at $129.83 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.07. Xylem has a 52 week low of $113.26 and a 52 week high of $146.08.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 9.96%. Xylem’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Xylem will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.34%.

Institutional Trading of Xylem

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 231.5% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 5,561,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $644,039,000 after buying an additional 3,883,845 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Xylem during the 4th quarter worth about $302,734,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in Xylem during the 4th quarter valued at about $96,658,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Xylem by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,326,024 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $269,865,000 after acquiring an additional 698,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its stake in Xylem by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,683,201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $427,325,000 after purchasing an additional 691,618 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

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.