Varma buys $12.6M Xylem stake as pension and sovereign funds pile in
What's the deal? Varma Mutual Pension Insurance CoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → bought a new position in Xylem Inc.Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (NYSE:XYL) during the second quarter, according to HoldingsChannel.com. The Finnish fund acquired 106,900 shares of the industrial products company, valued at roughly $12,637,000.
What does Xylem do? Xylem makes water technology and infrastructure equipment. It carries a market cap of $26.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, and a beta of 1.02.
The numbers: Xylem reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter ended July 28, topping the $1.34 consensus by $0.12. Revenue hit $2.34 billion, in line with expectations and up 1.5% year-over-year, against $1.26 EPS a year earlier.
Why now? Varma joins a wave of institutional buyers. In the fourth quarter, Norges BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → opened a new stake worth $361,012,000, while Northwestern Mutual Wealth ManagementDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → lifted its holding by 2,309.7% to 431,824 shares worth $54,314,000. Institutions and hedge funds now own 87.96% of the stock.
What's the endgame? Xylem set FY 2026 guidance at 5.550 to 5.700 EPS, with analysts forecasting 5.67. It also declared a $0.43 quarterly dividend, payable September 24, for a $1.72 annualised payout and a 1.5% yield.
Analyst view: Nine analysts rate the stock a buy and six a hold. Robert W. BairdDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → raised its price target to $165 with an "outperform" rating, while MizuhoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → set a "neutral" call at $130.
The signal: Xylem shares opened at $113.62 on Monday, near their 52-week low of $105.29 and well below the high of $154.27. Heavy institutional buying at these levels suggests large investors see value in water infrastructure despite the stock trading below its 200-day average of $119.67.
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