Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Xylem Inc. $XYL

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 284,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,225 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Xylem were worth $38,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of XYL. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Xylem by 14.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 30,955 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Xylem by 3.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Xylem by 56.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,678 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 3,120 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Xylem by 97.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 11,151 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,442,000 after purchasing an additional 5,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Xylem by 114.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Xylem Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE XYL opened at $113.76 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $122.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.10. Xylem Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.45 and a 52-week high of $154.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.30, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.03. Xylem had a return on equity of 11.26% and a net margin of 10.79%.The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. Xylem’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Xylem has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.350-5.600 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 5.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Xylem’s payout ratio is currently 42.79%.

Xylem announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 4.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on XYL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $158.00 price target on Xylem in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on Xylem from $132.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Xylem from $176.00 to $162.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Xylem in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Xylem from $174.00 to $168.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xylem currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jerome A. Peribere purchased 1,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $116.61 per share, for a total transaction of $141,098.10. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,172,841.49. This trade represents a 4.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 4,269 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.46, for a total value of $501,436.74. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,605 shares in the company, valued at $423,443.30. The trade was a 54.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Xylem Profile

Xylem Inc (NYSE: XYL) is a global water technology company that designs, manufactures and services engineered systems and equipment for the transport, treatment, testing and efficient use of water. Its product portfolio spans pumps and pumping systems, valves, filtration and disinfection equipment, sensors and analytical instruments, and digital solutions for monitoring and control of water infrastructure. Xylem serves the full water cycle with offerings for water and wastewater utilities, industrial customers, commercial and residential buildings, and agricultural applications.

The company was established as an independent publicly traded company in 2011 following a corporate spin-off from ITT Corporation and is headquartered in Rye Brook, New York.