Argent Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Argent Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 77,963 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil comprises approximately 3.1% of Argent Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $8,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in XOM. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $113.79 on Tuesday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a one year low of $103.67 and a one year high of $126.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $109.47 and a 200 day moving average of $113.60. The company has a market capitalization of $493.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. 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 3.48%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, 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. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.