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

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,576 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,947 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Xylem were worth $5,868,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Xylem by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 413,988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,031,000 after buying an additional 26,567 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Xylem in the 4th quarter worth about $1,135,000. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Xylem by 163.1% in the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 33,728 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,913,000 after buying an additional 20,907 shares in the last quarter. Illumine Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Xylem in the 4th quarter worth about $1,769,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Xylem by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,983,000 after buying an additional 1,809 shares in the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Xylem Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:XYL opened at $130.91 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $122.87 and a 200 day moving average of $127.23. The company has a market cap 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 current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Xylem Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.26 and a 12-month high of $146.08.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. Xylem’s payout ratio is currently 43.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on XYL shares. Citigroup downgraded Xylem from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Xylem from $166.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Xylem from $138.00 to $125.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wolfe Research restated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Xylem in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.