Traders Buy Large Volume of Exxon Mobil Call Options (NYSE:XOM)

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders purchased 111,114 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 30% compared to the typical volume of 85,524 call options.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 2.2%

XOM traded up $3.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $149.28. 13,728,683 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,196,967. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.01. The firm has a market cap of $629.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 0.39. Exxon Mobil has a 1 year low of $97.80 and a 1 year high of $149.57.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The firm had revenue of $82.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.58%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total transaction of $698,750.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 23,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,295,864. The trade was a 17.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,406,570 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 456.1% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on XOM. Loop Capital set a $123.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $171.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $144.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.59.

More Exxon Mobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades pushed momentum — several broker notes and an upgrade drove intraday buying and helped XOM hit a new 1‑year high. Analyst Upgrade Drives Stock Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Exxon is expanding production in multiple OPEC‑linked countries — reportedly with U.S. administration support — are being read as growth/strategic upside for upstream volumes. Exxon Expanding Production
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon’s Permian push: management is ramping production using new tech and guiding further output increases over coming years, supporting higher production and cash flow expectations. Permian Growth Plans
• Positive Sentiment: Operational pickup: Exxon started up a new unit at Baytown, which should support near‑term refining/product margins and utilization. Baytown Unit Startup
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio moves: Exxon is refocusing its asset mix — including a Colombia deal and the planned closure of the Fife plant — which management frames as portfolio optimization but may have one‑time impacts. Portfolio Refocus
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context: energy ETFs and bullish analyst writeups highlight macro tailwinds (weather-driven gas draws, rising oil demand forecasts) that help XOM’s outlook but are industry‑wide factors. Energy Sector Tailwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Sell‑side pushback: BNP Paribas Exane downgraded XOM to Underperform, creating headwinds and adding volatility despite other upgrades. BNP Paribas Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: an officer sold 5,000 shares — small in size but occasionally viewed negatively by some investors. Insider Sale

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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.