Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 0.4% - Here's Why

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $117.64 and last traded at $116.21. 2,947,487 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 14,959,556 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XOM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.05.

Remove Ads

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $510.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $110.63 and a 200-day moving average of $113.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company earned $2.48 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,709,202 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $786,453,000 after buying an additional 521,932 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 17,920 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,101,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the third quarter worth approximately $671,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 4.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,139,855 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $250,834,000 after purchasing an additional 87,096 shares during the period. Finally, Noesis Capital Mangement Corp boosted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 7,364 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in 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.