ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM is S&CO Inc.’s 3rd Largest Position

S&CO Inc. lessened its holdings in ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 526,898 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 8,838 shares during the quarter. ExxonMobil comprises about 3.9% of S&CO Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. S&CO Inc.’s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $63,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of XOM. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 38,728,643 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,366,655,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660,910 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 218.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,380,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $155,696,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546,791 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in ExxonMobil by 105.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,925,026 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $329,797,000 after acquiring an additional 1,501,235 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in ExxonMobil by 119.4% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,672,359 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $301,310,000 after acquiring an additional 1,454,308 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in ExxonMobil by 4.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,396,334 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,299,687,000 after acquiring an additional 886,087 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at ExxonMobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $339,313.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 18,204 shares in the company, valued at $2,872,955.28. This trade represents a 10.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High oil prices are expected to support ExxonMobil’s exploration and production earnings, with stronger Permian recoveries and Guyana output helping profitability. How Will High Oil Prices Aid ExxonMobil’s Energy Business?
• Positive Sentiment: A Texas jury found ExxonMobil not liable in a long-running investor lawsuit tied to Canadian oil sands and Rocky Mountain gas disclosures, removing a legal overhang. Exxon Mobil not liable to investors over Canadian oil sands, gas assets, jury says
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil resumed drilling in Guyana’s Canje block, which could support longer-term growth if exploration results are encouraging. Exxon resumes drilling in Guyana’s Canje block after four-year absence
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein cut ExxonMobil’s price target from $195 to $182, which may temper some near-term enthusiasm despite continued analyst interest. Exxon Mobil (XOM) Price Target Trimmed by $13 at Bernstein
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors are pushing back on ExxonMobil’s plan to move its incorporation from New Jersey to Texas, citing governance and shareholder-rights concerns. Exxon Mobil Texas Move Pits Shareholder Rights Against Governance Goals

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XOM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Loop Capital set a $123.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of ExxonMobil in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.95.

ExxonMobil Price Performance

NYSE:XOM opened at $157.72 on Friday. ExxonMobil Corporation has a one year low of $101.18 and a one year high of $176.41. The stock has a market cap of $653.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $155.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.04.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $83.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $81.13 billion. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 7.57%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.48%.

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.