Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Stock Price Up 2.5% – What’s Next?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price was up 2.5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $108.55 and last traded at $106.84. Approximately 17,830,092 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average daily volume of 15,979,540 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho cut their price target on Exxon Mobil from $131.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC decreased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Bernstein Bank increased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.75.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $462.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $109.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.90.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 93,299,598 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,023,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104,617 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,936,737,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,017,358 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,950,087,000 after buying an additional 2,998,892 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,731,263,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,662,602 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,836,226,000 after acquiring an additional 4,140,046 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.