Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 0.7% – Time to Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) shares shot up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $109.73 and last traded at $109.18. 2,809,042 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 14,658,629 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on XOM. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 0.4 %

The stock has a market cap of $478.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $109.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 7,761.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,893,677 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $808,077,000 after purchasing an additional 6,805,982 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,731,263,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $585,818,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,603 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 168.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,530,457 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $531,060,000 after purchasing an additional 2,842,844 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.