Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) Shares Purchased by World Equity Group Inc.

World Equity Group Inc. raised its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,546 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the quarter. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $2,640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $109.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1-year low of $103.05 and a 1-year high of $126.34. The company has a market capitalization of $476.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.00, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50-day moving average of $108.69 and a 200-day moving average of $114.37.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.