Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 3,012,159 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,094,576 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,012,159 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil comprises approximately 0.9% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.75% of Exxon Mobil worth $3,559,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 93,299,598 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $10,023,875,000 after acquiring an additional 1,104,617 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,936,737,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake 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 valued at $4,731,263,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,662,602 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,836,226,000 after buying an additional 4,140,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,860,532 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,427,237,000 after buying an additional 700,415 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

NYSE:XOM opened at $106.84 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $462.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61. Exxon Mobil Co. has a twelve month low of $97.80 and a twelve month high of $126.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $109.82 and a 200-day moving average of $112.81. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Bernstein Bank increased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.75.

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.

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