Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $135.44.

XYL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Xylem in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Xylem from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Xylem from $126.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Raymond James raised shares of Xylem from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Xylem from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th.

Xylem Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE XYL traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $128.11. The company had a trading volume of 899,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 894,723. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.39. The stock has a market cap of $31.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.10, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.10. Xylem has a 52-week low of $87.59 and a 52-week high of $130.86.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Xylem had a net margin of 8.27% and a return on equity of 9.65%. The company's revenue was up 40.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Xylem will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from Xylem's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Xylem's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Franz Cerwinka sold 2,408 shares of Xylem stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.79, for a total transaction of $293,270.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,431,032.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Xylem news, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $122,890.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $360,682.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Franz Cerwinka sold 2,408 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.79, for a total transaction of $293,270.32. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,431,032.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xylem

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in Xylem during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,752,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in shares of Xylem by 6.6% in the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 39,266 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,574,000 after buying an additional 2,438 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Xylem by 351.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 101,408 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $11,597,000 after buying an additional 78,934 shares during the period. Mariner LLC boosted its position in Xylem by 10.3% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 75,036 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,831,000 after acquiring an additional 7,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Trust Co. grew its stake in Xylem by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 156,815 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,275,000 after acquiring an additional 4,621 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.96% of the company's stock.

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.