Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 2% Higher - Here's What Happened

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) shot up 2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $119.18 and last traded at $118.88. 4,123,573 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 14,901,843 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on XOM. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. HSBC dropped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded Exxon Mobil to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group cut their target price on Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.05.

Exxon Mobil Stock Down 0.2 %

The company has a market cap of $510.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $110.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31.

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Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company posted $2.48 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rockline Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,918 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,788,000 after acquiring an additional 1,498 shares during the period. Renasant Bank grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 10,369 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC now owns 41,637 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,479,000 after purchasing an additional 2,825 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 41.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 76,288 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $8,942,000 after purchasing an additional 22,296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP now owns 307,243 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $36,015,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.