Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 0.3% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) rose 0.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $118.73 and last traded at $118.31. Approximately 2,467,837 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 16,239,563 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XOM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $121.00 to $117.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Wolfe Research increased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $157.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.95.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $119.61 and a 200-day moving average of $116.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $519.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a P/E/G ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.01. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 14.73% and a net margin of 9.61%. The firm had revenue of $90.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $93.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.27 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is an increase from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 18.2% in the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,684 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $933,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 29.4% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 3,352 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 1st quarter valued at $83,000. Finally, National Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the first quarter worth $214,000. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.