Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Short Interest Up 614.1% in July

Key Points

• Xylem Inc. experienced a dramatic increase in short interest of 614.1% in July, reaching a total of 2,180,000 shares compared to 305,300 shares in June.
• The company reported EPS of $1.26 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, and a revenue of $2.30 billion, which was also above estimates.
• Xylem declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.1% with a payout ratio of 43.01%.

Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,180,000 shares, anincreaseof614.1% from the June 30th total of 305,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $152.00 price objective (up previously from $137.00) on shares of Xylem in a report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Xylem in a research note on Friday, May 30th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $148.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial upgraded Xylem to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Xylem from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Xylem from $149.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.14.

Xylem Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:XYL traded up $1.71 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $143.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,593,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,132,611. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $129.44 and a 200-day moving average of $124.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Xylem has a 52-week low of $100.47 and a 52-week high of $144.83.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. Xylem had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 10.74%. Xylem's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Xylem will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Xylem's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xylem

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its position in Xylem by 84.9% in the first quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 220 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new stake in Xylem in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Xylem in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Xylem by 950.0% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 252 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its position in Xylem by 52.0% in the first quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 266 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.