Welch & Forbes LLC Acquires 12,023 Shares of Xylem Inc. $XYL

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC increased its Xylem stake by 3.0% in the first quarter, buying 12,023 shares and bringing its total holdings to 413,855 shares valued at about $49.5 million.
• Xylem’s latest quarter beat expectations, with EPS of $1.12 versus estimates of $1.09 and revenue of $2.12 billion, while the company also maintained full-year guidance of 5.35-5.60 EPS for FY 2026.
• The company remains popular with institutions, which own 87.96% of the stock, and analysts currently rate Xylem as a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $153.54.

Welch & Forbes LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 413,855 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,023 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC owned about 0.17% of Xylem worth $49,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Callahan Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xylem during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,721,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Xylem by 2,309.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 431,824 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $54,314,000 after purchasing an additional 413,904 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Xylem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,663,000. Boston Common Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Xylem by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 143,740 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $19,575,000 after purchasing an additional 19,073 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Xylem during the fourth quarter worth approximately $361,012,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.96% of the company's stock.

Xylem Stock Performance

Xylem stock traded up $2.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $121.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,399,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,783,016. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Xylem Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.29 and a 52 week high of $154.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $112.64 and a 200-day moving average of $124.05. The firm has a market cap of $28.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.03.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 10.79% and a return on equity of 11.26%. The business's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. Xylem has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.350-5.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Xylem Inc. will post 5.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 28th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 28th. Xylem's payout ratio is currently 42.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. CLSA raised shares of Xylem to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Xylem from $163.00 to $159.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Xylem from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Xylem from $174.00 to $168.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Xylem from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xylem currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $153.54.

Insider Activity at Xylem

In other news, Director Jerome A. Peribere acquired 1,210 shares of Xylem stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $116.61 per share, for a total transaction of $141,098.10. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,172,841.49. The trade was a 4.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 4,269 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.46, for a total value of $501,436.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $423,443.30. The trade was a 54.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Xylem 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.

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