New England Research & Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

New England Research & Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM – Get Rating) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,830 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,005 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil accounts for approximately 1.4% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $2,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 17.4% in the first quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 7,909 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $680,000 after acquiring an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Retirement Income Solutions Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the first quarter worth approximately $275,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 318.8% during the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 17,163 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 13,065 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 95.6% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 15,843 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,308,000 after purchasing an additional 7,744 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.49% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total transaction of $288,750.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 31,772 shares in the company, valued at $3,669,666. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

XOM opened at $99.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $406.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.43. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1-year low of $78.10 and a 1-year high of $119.63.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $95.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.21 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 31.25% and a net margin of 13.47%. Exxon Mobil’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.05 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 10.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 13th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Argus upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $128.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $111.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. B. Riley upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $128.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Cowen upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.64.

Exxon Mobil Profile

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Exxon Mobil Corp. engages in the exploration, development, and distribution of oil, gas, and petroleum products. It operates through the following segments: Upstream, Downstream and Chemical. The Upstream segment produces crude oil and natural gas. The Downstream segment manufactures and trades petroleum products.