Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 13.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,707 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Xylem were worth $323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Xylem during the 1st quarter valued at about $72,000. Czech National Bank boosted its position in Xylem by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 55,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,666,000 after acquiring an additional 3,124 shares in the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Xylem by 506.5% during the 1st quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,259,000 after acquiring an additional 8,803 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Xylem by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 450,736 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,845,000 after acquiring an additional 27,046 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xylem by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,206 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on XYL. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Xylem from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Xylem from $149.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Xylem in a report on Friday, May 30th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $148.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on Xylem from $152.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Xylem from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xylem has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $143.71.

Xylem Stock Performance

Shares of XYL opened at $127.00 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.76. 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 $100.47 and a 12 month high of $143.50. The company has a market cap of $30.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.13.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 10.40%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is 43.01%.

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.