Benson Investment Management Company Inc. Takes $5.09 Million Position in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL)

Benson Investment Management Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 43,910 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,094,000. Xylem accounts for 2.1% of Benson Investment Management Company Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Xylem by 22.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,991,583 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $403,953,000 after buying an additional 554,609 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Xylem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $68,593,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Xylem in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,169,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Xylem by 17.8% in the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,657,785 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $223,851,000 after acquiring an additional 249,975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Xylem by 246.6% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 324,504 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $44,012,000 after purchasing an additional 230,878 shares during the period. 87.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Xylem Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:XYL opened at $115.64 on Tuesday. Xylem Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.39 and a 52 week high of $146.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market cap of $28.09 billion, a PE ratio of 33.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50 day moving average is $121.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.20.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.11. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.61% and a net margin of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Xylem Inc. will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Xylem Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on XYL. TD Cowen decreased their target price 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. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Xylem from $175.00 to $154.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of Xylem in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Xylem from $163.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Xylem from $172.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.10.

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.