Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 47,621 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,537 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Xylem were worth $5,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 10,296.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 63,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,205,000 after buying an additional 62,398 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Xylem in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,752,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 39,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,574,000 after buying an additional 2,438 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 351.2% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 101,408 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,597,000 after buying an additional 78,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 75,036 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,831,000 after buying an additional 7,006 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Xylem from $126.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Xylem from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Xylem in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James raised Xylem from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Xylem from $141.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xylem has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.44.

Xylem Price Performance

NYSE XYL opened at $128.02 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $126.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.07, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Xylem Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.59 and a 1-year high of $130.86.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.27%. The company’s revenue was up 40.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. This is a boost from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.94%.

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.