Exxon Mobil Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:XOM)

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 89,969 call options on the company. This is an increase of 46% compared to the average volume of 61,595 call options.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

NYSE XOM traded up $1.23 on Thursday, reaching $119.35. 5,160,251 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,100,703. The stock has a market cap of $503.32 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.50. Exxon Mobil has a 12 month low of $97.80 and a 12 month high of $123.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 9.17%.The firm had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This is a boost from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 59.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on XOM. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $124.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Exxon Mobil from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $143.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.67.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,158 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $238,351.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 13,829 shares in the company, valued at $1,527,413.05. The trade was a 13.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 21,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379 shares in the last quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.4% in the second quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 389,769 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $42,017,000 after acquiring an additional 5,527 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 52.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 382,989 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $45,149,000 after buying an additional 131,600 shares in the last quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 116.7% during the 2nd quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,657 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 4,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 51.8% in the first quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 7,665 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,617 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% 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.