Metis Global Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 50,576 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,947 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Xylem were worth $5,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Xylem by 231.5% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 5,561,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $644,039,000 after acquiring an additional 3,883,845 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Xylem by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 3,683,201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $427,325,000 after acquiring an additional 691,618 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Xylem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $68,593,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Xylem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,169,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Xylem by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,657,785 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $223,851,000 after acquiring an additional 249,975 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xylem Stock Performance

Shares of Xylem stock opened at $130.91 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $122.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.23. The company has a market capitalization of $31.80 billion, a PE ratio of 35.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Xylem Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.26 and a 52 week high of $146.08.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 10.40%. Xylem’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XYL. Citigroup cut Xylem from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Xylem from $138.00 to $125.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research restated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Xylem in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Xylem from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.90.

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.