VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Boosts Stock Position in ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its position in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 559,672 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,500 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $67,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of XOM. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in ExxonMobil in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new position in ExxonMobil in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in ExxonMobil in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC raised its stake in ExxonMobil by 968.0% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 267 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil is being highlighted as a blue-chip dividend stock, with UBS recently raising its price target and investors continuing to favor large integrated oil companies for income and stability.
• Positive Sentiment: Rising crude prices and fuel-market disruption tied to Middle East tensions could support ExxonMobil’s upstream earnings, while its large Beaumont refinery may benefit from cheaper domestic crude and wider refining margins.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also points to ExxonMobil’s strong one-year rally and its scale in the Dow and global energy markets as evidence of durable investor appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some investors are questioning whether ExxonMobil is still a value buy after its strong run, noting that the stock has pulled back modestly from recent highs and may already reflect much of the good news.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s upcoming ex-dividend date may draw income investors, but it is more of a routine calendar event than a major fundamental catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy adviser ISS recommended shareholders vote against ExxonMobil’s plan to move its registration to Texas, citing concerns that the change could make it harder for shareholders to hold directors and officers accountable.

Insider Activity at ExxonMobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total transaction of $167,940.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 17,124 shares in the company, valued at $2,662,782. This represents a 5.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

ExxonMobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $150.59 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.80. ExxonMobil Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $101.18 and a fifty-two week high of $176.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $624.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.19.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.18. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 10.24%. The firm had revenue of $83.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $81.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on XOM shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $175.00 to $172.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $172.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of ExxonMobil from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ExxonMobil presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.95.

ExxonMobil Company Profile

ExxonMobil 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.