KBC Group NV Sells 198,805 Shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

KBC Group NV lowered its stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 29.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 476,734 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 198,805 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.20% of Xylem worth $56,951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Xylem in the 4th quarter worth about $11,051,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Xylem by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,090 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,809 shares during the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Xylem by 163.1% in the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 33,728 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,913,000 after buying an additional 20,907 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in Xylem in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,135,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Xylem by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 413,988 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $48,031,000 after buying an additional 26,567 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.96% of the company's stock.

Xylem Trading Up 0.0%

XYL stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $131.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 445,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,410,370. Xylem Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.47 and a 12 month high of $143.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business's 50 day moving average price is $124.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.84. The company has a market cap of $31.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.12.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 10.12%. Xylem's quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 29th. Xylem's payout ratio is 43.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XYL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Xylem from $149.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Xylem from $152.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Xylem to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Xylem in a report on Friday, May 30th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $148.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Xylem from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xylem presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $143.71.

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.