Guardian Investment Management Lowers Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Guardian Investment Management cut its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 14,393 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil makes up 1.2% of Guardian Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $1,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XOM. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. IMA Wealth Inc. raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 720.0% during the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 369 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 222.5% in the first quarter. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. now owns 574 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the period. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $252,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 30,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,169,845. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XOM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $126.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $114.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.28.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:XOM opened at $119.90 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $111.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.33. The company has a market capitalization of $474.60 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1-year low of $95.77 and a 1-year high of $123.75.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $84.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.03 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 18.51%. The company’s revenue was down 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 9.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.74%.

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.