Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Shares Sold by Essex Investment Management Co. LLC

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC cut its holdings in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 49.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,389 shares during the quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC's holdings in Xylem were worth $1,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Xylem by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,804,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $671,623,000 after buying an additional 135,492 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Xylem by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,369,804 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $506,985,000 after buying an additional 320,500 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Xylem by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,009,907 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $465,229,000 after purchasing an additional 359,276 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Xylem by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,750,377 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $435,119,000 after purchasing an additional 301,070 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Xylem by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,268,433 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $379,204,000 after purchasing an additional 966,399 shares during the period. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xylem Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XYL traded down $2.58 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $142.04. 2,023,902 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,508,948. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.57 billion, a PE ratio of 38.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.12. Xylem Inc. has a one year low of $100.47 and a one year high of $144.83. The company's 50 day moving average is $129.08 and its 200 day moving average is $124.10.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.11. Xylem had a return on equity of 10.12% and a net margin of 10.54%. The business had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Xylem's dividend payout ratio is 43.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Xylem from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $152.00 price objective (up from $137.00) on shares of Xylem in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Xylem from $149.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Xylem in a research report on Friday, May 30th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $148.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Xylem from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.14.

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.