Brokerages Set Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) Price Target at $126.75

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-two analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $126.75.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on XOM shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. HSBC reduced their target price on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Bernstein Bank upped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 2.5 %

Exxon Mobil stock traded up $2.65 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $106.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 17,830,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,988,172. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.81. The company has a market cap 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 has a fifty-two week low of $97.80 and a fifty-two week high of $126.34. 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 posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share 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 previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. 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 presently 50.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,936,737,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 14,242.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,457,554 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,124,787,000 after purchasing an additional 9,391,614 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 5,110,603 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 4,415,012 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company's stock.

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.