Short Interest in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Expands By 21.0%

Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,886,905 shares, a growth of 21.0% from the March 15th total of 4,037,620 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,045,752 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xylem

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Xylem in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,148,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in Xylem by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 56,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,292,000 after acquiring an additional 8,960 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Xylem by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 404,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,681,000 after acquiring an additional 24,352 shares during the period. Covea Finance boosted its holdings in Xylem by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covea Finance now owns 231,547 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,153,000 after acquiring an additional 47,000 shares during the period. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc boosted its holdings in Xylem by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 417,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,629,000 after acquiring an additional 37,189 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Xylem Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of XYL stock opened at $121.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $125.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.54. Xylem has a twelve month low of $107.04 and a twelve month high of $154.27. The company has a market capitalization of $29.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.92, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42. Xylem had a net margin of 10.59% and a return on equity of 11.11%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Xylem has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.350-5.560 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Xylem will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This is an increase from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.88%.

Xylem declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 25th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on XYL shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Xylem in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $130.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Xylem in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Xylem from $155.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $161.00 target price on shares of Xylem in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Xylem from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.31.

Xylem Company Profile

Xylem Inc (NYSE: XYL) is a global water technology company that designs, manufactures and services engineered systems and equipment for the transport, treatment, testing and efficient use of water. Its product portfolio spans pumps and pumping systems, valves, filtration and disinfection equipment, sensors and analytical instruments, and digital solutions for monitoring and control of water infrastructure. Xylem serves the full water cycle with offerings for water and wastewater utilities, industrial customers, commercial and residential buildings, and agricultural applications.

The company was established as an independent publicly traded company in 2011 following a corporate spin-off from ITT Corporation and is headquartered in Rye Brook, New York.