ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Stock Price Up 4.2% – Still a Buy?

Shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) were up 4.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $160.37 and last traded at $159.46. 17,856,449 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 8% from the average session volume of 19,430,139 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.04.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XOM has been the subject of several analyst reports. HSBC set a $158.00 target price on ExxonMobil in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America cut ExxonMobil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $154.00 to $158.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $171.00 to $168.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.29.

ExxonMobil Trading Up 4.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $660.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $146.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.64.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $114.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.94 billion. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 13.14% and a net margin of 8.88%.During the same period last year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. Analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $1.03 dividend. 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 Monday, August 17th. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.02%.

Institutional Trading of ExxonMobil

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of ExxonMobil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,625,063,000. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil during the first quarter worth approximately $965,932,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil during the first quarter worth approximately $766,345,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 15,997,332 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,925,119,000 after buying an additional 2,465,410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 334.4% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,062,497 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $368,541,000 after buying an additional 2,357,467 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil 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.