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

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

XOM has been the topic of several other research reports. DZ Bank downgraded ExxonMobil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $156.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America lowered ExxonMobil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $154.00 to $158.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $175.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on ExxonMobil from $177.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on ExxonMobil from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ExxonMobil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $167.70.

ExxonMobil Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $177.76 on Monday. ExxonMobil has a 12 month low of $111.99 and a 12 month high of $180.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $164.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.65. The firm has a market cap of $736.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.88, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.21.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $114.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.94 billion. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 13.14%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that ExxonMobil will post 12.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ExxonMobil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 28,364,314 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,812,790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540,902 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 24,511,156 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,158,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192,386 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 153.3% in the 2nd quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,307,497,000 after purchasing an additional 10,214,420 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,376,418 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,099,783,000 after purchasing an additional 693,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its position in ExxonMobil by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 9,664,021 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,321,265,000 after purchasing an additional 166,268 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $200 and upgraded XOM to “overweight,” implying further upside and reinforcing confidence in ExxonMobil’s integrated business and exposure to higher commodity prices. Barclays raises ExxonMobil price target
• Positive Sentiment: Rising crude prices remain the primary catalyst. Oil has surged sharply in 2026 amid Middle East tensions, supporting expectations for stronger upstream earnings, while ExxonMobil’s Permian operations are benefiting from production growth, drilling technology and cost discipline. Oil explorers benefiting from higher crude prices
• Positive Sentiment: Investor articles continue to view ExxonMobil favorably ahead of its earnings update, citing its scale and diversification across exploration, refining, chemicals and specialty products. Its aviation-lubricants distribution agreement in the Americas also modestly expands its aftermarket reach. ExxonMobil outlook ahead of earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Shell’s planned expansion of Canadian LNG exports highlights continued industry investment in gas and LNG after major oil companies scaled back clean-energy ambitions. The move supports the long-term appeal of ExxonMobil’s LNG and integrated-energy strategy, but it is not a direct ExxonMobil announcement. Shell expands Canadian LNG operations
• Negative Sentiment: Crude prices retreated from recent highs after a waiver of Russia-related sanctions and tariffs, reducing near-term support for oil producers. Investors may also be cautious because ExxonMobil’s strong run has lifted valuation, while its latest reported quarter narrowly missed the earnings-per-share consensus despite beating revenue estimates. ExxonMobil shares and crude price pullback

ExxonMobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. Its operations span the energy value chain, from resource development and refining to the marketing and distribution of fuels and other energy products.

Through its Energy Products segment, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, and other petroleum-based products. Its Chemical Products business produces petrochemicals, including commodity and performance products used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials, and consumer goods.