J. Stern & Co. LLP Boosts Stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 321,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,421 shares during the period. Xylem makes up 3.5% of J. Stern & Co. LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. J. Stern & Co. LLP owned 0.13% of Xylem worth $37,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dempze Nancy E lifted its stake in Xylem by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Dempze Nancy E now owns 25,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,989,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Xylem by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 11,074 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,285,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its position in shares of Xylem by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 2,315 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Xylem by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 4,359 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Xylem by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,868 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $913,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. 87.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xylem Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE XYL traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $117.15. 992,789 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,675,309. The firm has a market cap of $28.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.76. Xylem Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.47 and a 12-month high of $146.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $118.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.20.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS 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%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. This is a boost from Xylem's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Xylem's payout ratio is currently 43.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Xylem from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Xylem from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Xylem from $152.00 to $134.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Xylem presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $147.33.

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.