Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 2.7% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) rose 2.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $156.93 and last traded at $155.67. Approximately 22,878,437 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 21,234,041 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on XOM. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.59.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 2.7%

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $127.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.99. The stock has a market cap of $656.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.27, a P/E/G ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.39. 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 quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The business had revenue of $82.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.58%.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,230 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.18, for a total value of $481,851.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 20,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,036,409.72. The trade was a 13.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 14,230 shares of company stock valued at $1,888,421 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Cornerstone Advisors Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Advisors Asset Management LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $786,000. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 83.6% in the 4th quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 13,132 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 5,981 shares during the last quarter. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC now owns 25,931 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after acquiring an additional 872 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV now owns 26,046 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,134,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Exxon Mobil

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.