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

Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $152.20.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on XYL shares. Citigroup raised Xylem from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $148.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Xylem from $175.00 to $154.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Xylem from $172.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research restated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Xylem in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st.

Xylem Stock Performance

NYSE XYL opened at $118.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $125.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.41. Xylem has a 1 year low of $109.39 and a 1 year high of $146.08.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.17 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 9.85% and a return on equity of 9.61%. Xylem’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Xylem will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. Xylem’s payout ratio is 42.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xylem

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of XYL. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 56.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Xylem during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Xylem by 1,185.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xylem by 3,887.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Xylem by 226.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

About Xylem

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.