Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $123.21 and last traded at $122.40. Approximately 2,283,897 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 16,212,346 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. BNP Paribas cut Exxon Mobil from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $157.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.21.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $119.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $535.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.90.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $90.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.61% and a return on equity of 14.73%. Exxon Mobil’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.27 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This is an increase from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.32%.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in XOM. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 2,684 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $933,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 461.1% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 938,562 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $109,098,000 after purchasing an additional 771,301 shares during the last quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC now owns 2,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 894.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 19,901 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 17,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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.