Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires 4,140,046 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,662,602 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,140,046 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil accounts for 1.1% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.81% of Exxon Mobil worth $3,836,226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 92,194,981 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $10,777,735,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622,064 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $6,936,737,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,860,532 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,427,237,000 after acquiring an additional 700,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,906,947 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,217,090,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269,629 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

Exxon Mobil stock traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $118.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,564,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,711,884. Exxon Mobil Co. has a one year low of $103.67 and a one year high of $126.34. The firm has a market cap of $515.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $111.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.85.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 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 firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is 50.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on XOM shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.05.

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.