Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 2,917 Shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,725 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,917 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Xylem were worth $5,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of Xylem by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,683,201 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $427,325,000 after buying an additional 691,618 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Xylem by 31.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 575 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Triodos Investment Management BV boosted its stake in shares of Xylem by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Triodos Investment Management BV now owns 234,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,149,000 after acquiring an additional 26,300 shares during the last quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xylem during the 4th quarter worth $3,754,000. Finally, Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of Xylem during the 4th quarter valued at $1,910,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company's stock.

Xylem Price Performance

XYL stock traded down $0.37 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $126.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 202,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,410,495. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company's fifty day moving average is $117.41 and its 200-day moving average is $121.45. The company has a market capitalization of $30.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.10. Xylem Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.47 and a 1 year high of $146.08.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 10.40%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Xylem's payout ratio is 43.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XYL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Xylem from $149.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Xylem from $152.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Xylem from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Xylem from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Xylem to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xylem has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.88.

Xylem Company 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.