Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Down 4% After Analyst Downgrade

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) traded down 4% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Mizuho lowered their price target on the stock from $131.00 to $129.00. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Exxon Mobil traded as low as $113.40 and last traded at $113.96. 6,232,076 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 15,660,658 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.67.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on XOM. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Bernstein Bank boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.80.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company'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 transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew 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 grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 17,920 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,101,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Castleark Management LLC increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 148.7% during the 3rd quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 44,200 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,181,000 after purchasing an additional 26,430 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 14,697 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Passive Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Trading Down 3.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $437.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $111.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.81.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders 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 3.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

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.