Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO) (TSE:IMO) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $109.00.

A number of analysts recently commented on IMO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Imperial Oil from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research cut Imperial Oil from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Imperial Oil from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Imperial Oil to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Imperial Oil Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSEAMERICAN IMO traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $72.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 36,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 431,132. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.08. Imperial Oil has a twelve month low of $60.95 and a twelve month high of $80.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 1.44.

Imperial Oil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.4972 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This is an increase from Imperial Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Imperial Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.80%.

Institutional Trading of Imperial Oil

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Imperial Oil by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,648 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Imperial Oil by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Group One Trading LLC grew its position in Imperial Oil by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. Group One Trading LLC now owns 755 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Imperial Oil by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 27,904 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN raised its holdings in shares of Imperial Oil by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,920 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 20.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Imperial Oil

Imperial Oil Limited engages in exploration, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream and Chemical segments. The Upstream segment explores and produces crude oil, natural gas, synthetic crude oil, and bitumen. The Downstream segment transports and refines crude oil, blends refined products, and distributes and markets of refined products.