Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Shares Acquired by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. raised its position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Xylem were worth $852,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Xylem during the first quarter worth about $311,684,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Xylem during the third quarter valued at $52,169,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xylem by 17.8% during the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,657,785 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $223,851,000 after buying an additional 249,975 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in Xylem by 246.6% in the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 324,504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $44,012,000 after acquiring an additional 230,878 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TCW Group Inc. increased its stake in Xylem by 189.2% in the second quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 315,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,778,000 after purchasing an additional 206,350 shares during the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xylem Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of XYL stock traded down $1.08 on Tuesday, hitting $127.50. The stock had a trading volume of 38,863 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,226,476. Xylem Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.42 and a 52-week high of $146.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $130.06 and its 200-day moving average is $134.13.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.11. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Xylem Inc. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Xylem’s payout ratio is 42.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Xylem in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Xylem from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Xylem from $175.00 to $154.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.64.

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.