Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 1% - Here's What Happened

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $112.74 and last traded at $112.38. Approximately 6,638,398 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 13,759,105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on XOM shares. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Exxon Mobil from $118.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.84.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $112.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $493.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.91.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.01. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 14.73% and a net margin of 9.61%. The company had revenue of $90.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $93.98 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.27 earnings per share. Exxon Mobil's quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.99 dividend. This is a positive change from Exxon Mobil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Vertex Planning Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.1% during the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Etfidea LLC grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Etfidea LLC now owns 2,669 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 0.9% in the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.7% during the third quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 13,378 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the third quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.