Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 0.7% – Still a Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) rose 0.7% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $111.79 and last traded at $111.71. Approximately 2,332,015 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 14,373,853 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.97.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.92. The firm has a market cap of $492.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.30, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its 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 firm earned $2.48 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.37 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in XOM. Vertex Planning Partners LLC raised 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 in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.7% in 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 during the period. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% in the third quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% in 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 buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.80% 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.