Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Down 1.6% - Here's Why

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) fell 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $109.05 and last traded at $108.86. 2,932,359 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 14,326,110 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.68.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on XOM. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $108.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $475.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.37 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% during the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 worth $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position 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 worth $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.