Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 0.8% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) was up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $111.48 and last traded at $111.18. Approximately 4,493,437 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 14,654,829 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on XOM shares. Bernstein Bank boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 1.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.53. The stock has a market cap of $491.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.89.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,936,737,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Exxon Mobil by 7,761.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,893,677 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $808,077,000 after purchasing an additional 6,805,982 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,731,263,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $585,818,000 after purchasing an additional 5,110,603 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Exxon Mobil

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.