Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 0.8% Higher - Still a Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 0.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $111.48 and last traded at $111.18. Approximately 4,493,437 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 14,654,829 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XOM shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Bernstein Bank raised their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Down 1.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $480.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89. The business's 50-day moving average is $108.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 quarter last year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,936,737,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 7,761.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,893,677 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $808,077,000 after purchasing an additional 6,805,982 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 14.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $585,818,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,603 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares during 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.