Raymond James & Associates Lowers Holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Raymond James & Associates reduced its stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 106,631 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,897 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates' holdings in Xylem were worth $12,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Xylem by 5.0% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 21,219,246 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,221,655,000 after buying an additional 1,011,317 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 7.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,390,911 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,738,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435,798 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 28.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,868,835 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,111,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,790 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 11.5% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,528,905 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $412,267,000 after purchasing an additional 466,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 35.1% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,182,821 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $380,762,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086,102 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xylem Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:XYL traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.31. 753,604 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,165,421. The company has a market cap of $31.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.76. Xylem Inc. has a one year low of $87.59 and a one year high of $130.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $124.93 and a 200 day moving average of $109.84.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.05 billion. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 8.27%. Xylem's revenue for the quarter was up 40.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XYL has been the topic of several research reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Xylem in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James raised Xylem from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Xylem in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $127.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on Xylem from $122.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Xylem from $141.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Xylem currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.00.

Insider Activity at Xylem

In related news, SVP Franz Cerwinka sold 2,408 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,750 shares in the company, valued at $1,431,032.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 stock was sold at an average price of $122.89, for a total value of $122,890.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,935 shares in the company, valued at $360,682.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Franz Cerwinka sold 2,408 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.79, for a total value of $293,270.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,431,032.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.