Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Down 0.1% – Time to Sell?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) dropped 0.1% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $117.93 and last traded at $118.82. Approximately 2,869,368 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 15,908,954 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XOM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bernstein Bank boosted their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. HSBC cut their target price on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.05.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $513.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.09, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

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

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 50.51%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,936,737,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position 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 valued at $4,731,263,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $585,818,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,603 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,017,358 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,950,087,000 after purchasing an additional 2,998,892 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.