Brokerages Set Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) Target Price at $129.15

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $129.05.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on XOM shares. 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, HSBC decreased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,936,737,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased 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 worth $4,731,263,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% during the fourth 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. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,017,358 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,950,087,000 after buying an additional 2,998,892 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exxon Mobil Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of XOM stock opened at $117.66 on Monday. 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 has a 12 month low of $103.67 and a 12 month high of $126.34. The stock has a market cap of $510.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.74.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

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.