Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO - Get Free Report) TSE: IMO has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $106.33.

IMO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research raised Imperial Oil from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank raised shares of Imperial Oil to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James raised shares of Imperial Oil from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Imperial Oil from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Imperial Oil in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd.

Imperial Oil Price Performance

NYSEAMERICAN:IMO traded up $3.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $67.97. The company had a trading volume of 698,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 447,610. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $67.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.78. Imperial Oil has a 52-week low of $58.76 and a 52-week high of $80.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $34.60 billion, a PE ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 1.44.

Imperial Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.4972 per share. This represents a $1.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This is a boost from Imperial Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Imperial Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Imperial Oil

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Imperial Oil by 27.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,838 shares of the energy company's stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Imperial Oil by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 842,664 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $59,502,000 after buying an additional 70,357 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Imperial Oil in the third quarter valued at about $137,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Imperial Oil by 77.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,474 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 3,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Imperial Oil by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 191,647 shares of the energy company's stock worth $13,502,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.74% of the company's stock.

Imperial Oil Company Profile

Imperial Oil Limited engages in exploration, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream and Chemical segments. The Upstream segment explores and produces crude oil, natural gas, synthetic crude oil, and bitumen. The Downstream segment transports and refines crude oil, blends refined products, and distributes and markets of refined products.