Sentry Investment Management LLC Has $2 Million Stock Holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 18,565 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,022 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil makes up about 1.0% of Sentry Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $1,997,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on XOM shares. Bernstein Bank increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:XOM opened at $110.06 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 12 month low of $104.00 and a 12 month high of $126.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $108.84 and its 200 day moving average is $114.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $477.58 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89.

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 the consensus estimate 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 company posted $2.48 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 50.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.03% 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.