ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 1.5% – Still a Buy?

ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price traded up 1.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $162.12 and last traded at $161.16. Approximately 12,287,285 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 18,578,527 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.71.

ExxonMobil News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil’s record oil production and revenue, achieved with lower capital spending, highlight the benefits of higher output from high-return assets such as the Permian Basin. Technology and efficiency gains are also helping the company operate through Middle East supply risks. ExxonMobil Delivers Record Oil Output and Revenue on Lower Spending
• Positive Sentiment: A debt-to-capitalization ratio of approximately 13.7% gives XOM substantial balance-sheet flexibility to withstand oil and gas price volatility while continuing capital investments, dividends and share repurchases. How ExxonMobil’s Balance Sheet Helps Navigate Oil Volatility
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation is supporting both growth investments and shareholder returns, while management pursues its 2030 earnings and cash-flow targets. Can ExxonMobil Keep Rewarding Shareholders While Investing for Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil’s plan to expand LNG sales toward 50 million tons by 2030 could provide a larger position in global natural-gas markets and diversify its earnings base. Exxon’s 2030 LNG Sales Target
• Neutral Sentiment: A prolonged Strait of Hormuz disruption could create significant oil-price upside for Exxon, but recent crude weakness and limited stock reaction show that investors may be discounting the likelihood or duration of such a scenario. If Hormuz Stays Shut, How High Can Exxon Go?
• Neutral Sentiment: Potential investment in Venezuela could add production opportunities, but regulatory, political and execution risks remain significant after ExxonMobil’s past exits from the country. Exxon Could Return to a Venezuelan Field
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst attention is increasingly focused on Chevron rather than ExxonMobil, while uncertainty about oil’s direction may limit near-term valuation expansion. Wall Street’s Preferred Energy Stock

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of ExxonMobil in a report on Monday. Barclays cut their target price on ExxonMobil from $182.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded ExxonMobil from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ExxonMobil currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.45.

ExxonMobil Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $668.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $158.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.38.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $114.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.94 billion. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 13.14% and a net margin of 8.88%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avant Capital LLC raised its stake in ExxonMobil by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Avant Capital LLC now owns 11,182 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its stake in ExxonMobil by 0.6% during the first quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 12,017 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,039,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance increased its holdings in ExxonMobil by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance now owns 3,720 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,805 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,155,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in ExxonMobil by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About ExxonMobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil, is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. Its upstream operations support oil and natural gas production in multiple regions worldwide, while its downstream businesses refine crude oil into fuels and other petroleum products for commercial, industrial and consumer markets.

Through its product solutions businesses, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets lubricants, specialty fluids, petroleum-derived products and chemical products, including commodity and performance chemicals used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials and other industrial applications.