Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 1.3% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) shares shot up 1.3% during trading on Thursday after Piper Sandler raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $186.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Exxon Mobil traded as high as $155.00 and last traded at $153.53. Approximately 25,990,067 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 21% from the average session volume of 21,392,000 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.58.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $171.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $146.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $339,313.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 18,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,872,955.28. This represents a 10.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 16,380 shares of company stock valued at $2,227,734 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Exxon Mobil News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target on XOM to $186 and put the stock on an “overweight” rating, implying meaningful upside versus current levels. Piper Sandler raises XOM target to $186
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. EIA is projecting higher average oil prices in 2026 (WTI topping $90), which would boost Exxon’s upstream cash flow and support growth from Permian and Guyana operations. EIA Projects Higher Oil Price in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Escalating Middle East tensions — including statements about keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and warnings from Saudi Aramco that a war with Iran would be catastrophic for oil markets — are lifting risk premia on crude, which tends to benefit integrated producers like Exxon. Strait of Hormuz comments Aramco CEO warns on Iran war
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon reiterated a multi-year target (~13% CAGR in earnings through 2030) at the Morgan Stanley conference, reinforcing expectations for higher future profits and supporting valuation expansion. Exxon targets 13% earnings growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Exxon is moving fuel shipments (first U.S. Gulf Coast supply to Australia) and showing operational flexibility in product markets; positive for commercial execution but modest near-term earnings impact. First fuel supply to Australia
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-volume and short-interest metrics show reduced bearish positioning (short interest fell significantly in late February), which can amplify rallies but is not a fundamental driver by itself. Surge in options activity
• Negative Sentiment: Political moves to release Strategic Petroleum Reserve barrels (U.S. comments about tapping the SPR) could cap a crude-price rally and damp near-term margins for producers if implemented at scale. Trump says he’ll tap SPR

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 456.1% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 1.3%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $140.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.07. The company has a market capitalization of $639.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The business had revenue of $80.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is an integrated oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals. Its operations span the full energy value chain, including upstream exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas; midstream transportation and storage; and downstream refining, product distribution and retail. The company also produces a broad range of chemical products for industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under well-known brands such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, and its Mobil 1 motor oil is a prominent consumer product.