Zacks Research Upgrades ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) to Strong-Buy

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $165.00 price objective on ExxonMobil and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on ExxonMobil from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.55.

ExxonMobil Stock Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $149.46 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.79. ExxonMobil has a 1-year low of $101.18 and a 1-year high of $176.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $621.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.29. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.49.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The firm had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that ExxonMobil will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ExxonMobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of ExxonMobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total transaction of $167,940.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 17,124 shares in the company, valued at $2,662,782. The trade was a 5.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of ExxonMobil

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in ExxonMobil by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $305,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in ExxonMobil by 1.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,237 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its holdings in ExxonMobil by 2.8% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 21,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,352,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in ExxonMobil by 17.4% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 36,710 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,957,000 after purchasing an additional 5,443 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded XOM from “Hold” to “Strong Buy,” which can attract buyer interest from retail and quant strategies that track Zacks ranks. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target to $163 and put XOM at “sector outperform” — the higher PT (~9% above current levels) supports upside expectations among institutional investors. Scotiabank Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Gabon expects to sign production‑sharing contracts with BP and Exxon within 4–6 months — potential near‑term production/reserves upside and longer‑term cash flow contributions. Gabon Production Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon is raising plastics prices amid supply shocks, signaling pricing power in petrochemicals that can boost margins if sustained. Plastics Price Hike
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also featured XOM on its list of strong‑buy income stocks, reinforcing the stock’s appeal to income-focused investors. Zacks Income List
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Exxon is exploring a $500–$600M sale of its Hong Kong gas station network — a potential portfolio cleanup that could raise cash but has limited near‑term EPS impact. Hong Kong Stations Sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail articles suggesting options strategies to generate income on XOM are increasing retail trading interest but do not change fundamentals. Options Income Play
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded XOM, saying shares look fully valued after the recent rally — negative for momentum and could pressure short‑term flows. Wolfe Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing governance disputes (proxy fights over chair/CEO split and voting rules) plus heightened Middle East risks add uncertainty that could weigh on sentiment if they escalate. Governance Standoff

About ExxonMobil

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.