Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $129.25.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on XOM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Argus upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Exxon Mobil in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 target price for the company.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil 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. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 5.9% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 905,051 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $106,090,000 after buying an additional 50,214 shares in the last quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 106,632 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,324 shares in the last quarter. Lwmg LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 666.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lwmg LLC now owns 14,531 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,703,000 after purchasing an additional 12,634 shares during the last quarter. Seneca House Advisors grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 5.0% in the third quarter. Seneca House Advisors now owns 2,456 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.1% in the third quarter. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV now owns 13,370 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $108.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $476.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.82, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.05. 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 has a 12-month low of $100.42 and a 12-month high of $126.34.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.48 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil will post 7.65 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.