Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Shares of Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO - Get Free Report) TSE: IMO have been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $109.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on IMO shares. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Imperial Oil from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Imperial Oil to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Imperial Oil from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Imperial Oil from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday.

Institutional Trading of Imperial Oil

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IMO. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Imperial Oil by 9.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 842,664 shares of the energy company's stock worth $59,502,000 after acquiring an additional 70,357 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Imperial Oil by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 14,364 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $874,000 after purchasing an additional 4,308 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in Imperial Oil by 522.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 201,126 shares of the energy company's stock worth $14,166,000 after purchasing an additional 168,831 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Imperial Oil by 13.3% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 751,038 shares of the energy company's stock worth $52,885,000 after purchasing an additional 87,914 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Imperial Oil during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 20.74% of the company's stock.

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Imperial Oil Stock Performance

Imperial Oil stock traded up $1.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $72.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 96,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 432,197. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $69.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Imperial Oil has a 12-month low of $60.95 and a 12-month high of $80.17. The firm has a market cap of $36.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 1.44.

Imperial Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.4972 per share. This is an increase from Imperial Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. Imperial Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.80%.

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.