Al Root

Water technology company Xylem reported better-than-expected first-quarter numbers. Shares rose in early trading.

It announced earnings per share of $1.12 from sales of $2.1 billion Tuesday morning. Wall Street was looking for earnings per share of $1.08 from sales of $2.1 billion. A year ago, Xylem reported earnings per share of $1.03 from sales of $2.1 billion, according to FactSet.

New orders were $2.2 billion, above sales, and up 3% year over year on a comparable basis.

"While the external environment remains dynamic, our teams are executing well, staying close to customers, and advancing long-term priorities," said CEO Matthew Pine in a news release. "Our steady progress this quarter demonstrates that our multi-year operating transformation is gaining traction, with disciplined execution and operational rigor."

The company bumped up guidance a hair. Now Xylem projects 2026 sales of $9.2 billion to $9.3 billion. In February it saw 2026 sales of $9.1 billion to $9.2 billion, up 2% to 4% on a comparable basis.

New guidance implied earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or Ebitda, of about $2.1 billion -- similar to the old guidance. Wall Street projects sales of $9.2 billion and Ebitda of $2.1 billion.

Jefferies analyst Stephen Volkmann called the quarter "in line" in a Tuesday report. Investors seem fine with the numbers. Shares were up 1.6% at $125.50 in premarket trading, while S&P 500 futures were down 0.6% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.3%.

Coming into Tuesday trading, Xylem stock was down 9% so far this year and up 6% over the past 12 months. Shares dropped 8% after the company reported fourth-quarter numbers in February.

Barron's wrote positively about Xylem stock in October. Coming into Tuesday trading, shares are down 17% since then, underperforming the S&P 500 by 23 percentage points.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com

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April 28, 2026 08:39 ET (12:39 GMT)

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