Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) Stock Holdings Raised by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 977,720 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 53,898 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil makes up 1.5% of Empowered Funds LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $105,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Vertex Planning Partners LLC raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% during the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.7% in the third quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 13,378 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,568,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the third quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of XOM stock opened at $111.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.92. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52-week low of $100.42 and a 52-week high of $126.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $490.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on XOM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America began coverage on Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target for the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

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.