Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 2.7% – Here’s What Happened

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) shares were up 2.7% on Friday . The company traded as high as $153.65 and last traded at $152.5460. Approximately 30,200,853 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 44% from the average daily volume of 21,038,309 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $171.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho set a $140.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.59.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 2.7%

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $635.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 15.82 and a beta of 0.39.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The business’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $3,295,864. This trade represents a 17.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 14,230 shares of company stock valued at $1,888,421 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 456.1% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

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.