Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 1.1% – Here’s What Happened

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)’s share price rose 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $112.13 and last traded at $111.31. Approximately 2,712,586 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 14,709,695 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on XOM. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 0.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $484.98 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.89.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,936,737,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 6,805,982 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $585,818,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Exxon Mobil

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.