Principal Securities Inc. Increases Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 91,519 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 5,277 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $9,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% during the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.7% during the third quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 13,378 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

NYSE:XOM opened at $110.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $483.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $108.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.61. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 12 month low of $102.64 and a 12 month high of $126.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XOM has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Bernstein Bank boosted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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.