Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Reduces Position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,427 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Xylem were worth $745,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,883,845 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Xylem in the 4th quarter worth about $302,734,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB bought a new position in shares of Xylem during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,658,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xylem by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,326,024 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $269,865,000 after purchasing an additional 698,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in Xylem by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,683,201 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $427,325,000 after buying an additional 691,618 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on XYL shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Xylem from $152.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Xylem from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Xylem from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Xylem from $149.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $145.56.

Xylem Stock Performance

NYSE XYL traded up $0.10 on Thursday, reaching $120.67. 1,739,729 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,420,397. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $118.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.05. The firm has a market cap of $29.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.08. Xylem Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.47 and a fifty-two week high of $146.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.08. Xylem had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 9.96%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Xylem's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. Xylem's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.72%.

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.