Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 2.7% Following Analyst Upgrade

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price traded up 2.7% on Wednesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a strong sell rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as high as $147.84 and last traded at $147.58. 29,171,931 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 35% from the average session volume of 21,681,975 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.73.

XOM has been the subject of a number of other reports. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Exxon Mobil from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup raised their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.59.

Insider Activity

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total value of $698,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 23,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,295,864. This represents a 17.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock worth $1,406,570 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Exxon Mobil

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and operational strength — Exxon reported Q4 EPS and revenue ahead of expectations driven by Permian and Guyana production, which investors are treating as confirmation of execution and a catalyst for re-rating. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target and kept a buy stance — the upgrade provides short-term buy-side support and helps momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly to $156 but retained an overweight rating — a modest tweak rather than a negative thesis change. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and coverage are mixed — several firms are updating models after Q4 (some lifts, some trims), producing a mixed market reaction. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Legal/arbitration resolution in Colombia — Sintana Energy said it reached an agreement with Exxon over a dispute (small cash settlement to Sintana), which removes an uncertainty but is not material to Exxon’s core results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane downgraded XOM to “underperform” with a $125 target — a bearish call that could cap upside if followed by peers. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — VP Darrin Talley sold 5,000 shares (SEC Form 4), a data point some investors read as a mild near-term negative signal. Read More.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 968.0% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 267 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $622.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $82.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be given a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 61.58%.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is an integrated oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals. Its operations span the full energy value chain, including upstream exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas; midstream transportation and storage; and downstream refining, product distribution and retail. The company also produces a broad range of chemical products for industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under well-known brands such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, and its Mobil 1 motor oil is a prominent consumer product.