Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) Short Interest Down 16.5% in March

Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,037,620 shares, a decline of 16.5% from the February 26th total of 4,836,020 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,875,202 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XYL. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Xylem from $166.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Xylem in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Xylem from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 27th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Xylem in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $165.00 target price on shares of Xylem in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Xylem currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xylem

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in XYL. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Xylem by 1,844.4% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 175 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Xylem in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Xylem in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in Xylem during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Xylem during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.96% of the company’s stock.

Xylem Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:XYL traded up $3.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $119.51. 2,532,035 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,868,833. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.24. Xylem has a 12 month low of $100.47 and a 12 month high of $154.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.06 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.17.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42. Xylem had a net margin of 10.59% and a return on equity of 11.11%. The business’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Xylem has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.350-5.560 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Xylem will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xylem declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 4.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a boost from Xylem’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Xylem’s dividend payout ratio is 43.88%.

About Xylem

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.