SFE Investment Counsel Raises Stock Holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

SFE Investment Counsel increased its stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL - Free Report) by 48.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,760 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,010 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel's holdings in Xylem were worth $3,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Xylem in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in Xylem by 122.4% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Xylem by 3,887.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 319 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Xylem by 318.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 368 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Xylem by 226.0% in the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 339 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xylem Stock Down 1.3 %

XYL stock traded down $1.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $129.41. 1,162,462 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,355,864. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $121.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.16. The stock has a market cap of $31.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.07. Xylem Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.26 and a fifty-two week high of $146.08.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations 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 previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Xylem's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on XYL. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Xylem from $139.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Xylem from $138.00 to $125.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Xylem from $166.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Xylem from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $149.90.

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.