Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 3.5% - Here's Why

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) shot up 3.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $106.99 and last traded at $107.84. 4,276,262 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 15,922,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on XOM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bernstein Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.75.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $462.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.75.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 18,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 10Elms LLP acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.