Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 1.1% – Still a Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price shot up 1.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $114.98 and last traded at $114.92. 2,967,508 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 14,826,436 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.64.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on XOM. Bernstein Bank boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.15.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 1.3 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $109.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.57. The firm has a market cap of $499.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rockline Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,918 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,498 shares during the period. Renasant Bank raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 10,369 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after buying an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC now owns 41,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,479,000 after buying an additional 2,825 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 25,127 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,945,000 after acquiring an additional 6,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Exxon Mobil by 41.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 76,288 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,942,000 after acquiring an additional 22,296 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.