Lazard Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 48,894 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Xylem were worth $6,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of XYL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Xylem in the fourth quarter worth $198,207,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Xylem during the 4th quarter valued at about $187,207,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its position in shares of Xylem by 1,503.7% during the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,649,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $188,685,000 after buying an additional 1,547,043 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new position in Xylem in the fourth quarter worth about $133,945,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Xylem by 4,769.0% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 927,390 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,056,000 after buying an additional 908,343 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Xylem Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of XYL stock opened at $140.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $34.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.12, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.04. Xylem Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.59 and a 1 year high of $146.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $138.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.53.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Xylem had a return on equity of 8.95% and a net margin of 8.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XYL. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Xylem from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Xylem from $147.00 to $152.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Xylem from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Xylem from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Argus upped their price target on Xylem from $146.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.58.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Rodney Aulick sold 21,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total value of $3,030,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 76,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,604,655.87. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 2,278 shares of Xylem stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.63, for a total transaction of $315,799.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,536 shares in the company, valued at $490,195.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Rodney Aulick sold 21,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total transaction of $3,030,418.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 76,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,604,655.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.