Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 0.4% – Should You Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) was up 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $118.86 and last traded at $118.75. Approximately 2,220,442 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 14,900,926 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on XOM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their target price on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.05.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $510.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $110.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.69.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its 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 net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 10Elms LLP acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.