Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.5882.

Several brokerages recently commented on XOM. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Exxon Mobil from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital set a $123.00 price objective on Exxon Mobil in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $171.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,230 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.18, for a total transaction of $481,851.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 20,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,036,409.72. This trade represents a 13.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,230 shares of company stock valued at $1,888,421. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of XOM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,625,063,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 150.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,602,601 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $819,560,000 after purchasing an additional 4,563,707 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 200.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,014,446 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $217,162,000 after purchasing an additional 4,015,099 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 10,809.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,095,106 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $333,652,000 after buying an additional 3,066,736 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil 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 buying an additional 2,660,910 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 2.7%

Exxon Mobil stock opened at $155.67 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $127.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.25. The company has a market capitalization of $656.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 15.77 and a beta of 0.39. Exxon Mobil has a 52 week low of $97.80 and a 52 week high of $156.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The company had revenue of $82.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is 61.58%.

Exxon Mobil News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on XOM to $140 (from $132) after Exxon’s Q4 report, updating estimates though keeping a Neutral rating — a near-term supportive analyst revision. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term bullish coverage highlights Exxon’s stronger refining margins, lower upstream costs and efficiency gains, supporting expectations for continued cash flow and dividend support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company moves to expand international shale while reaffirming shareholder returns — growth + capital-return mix reassures income-focused and total-return investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets note XOM trades at a premium on EV/EBITDA vs. peers, suggesting upside may be limited absent multiple expansion or stronger oil prices — useful context for entry timing. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary asks whether recent sector leadership and XOM’s one‑year rally leave the stock still attractively priced — a framing piece rather than a company-specific catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon warned EU methane rules could materially raise crude import costs (estimated ~13% increase to refiners’ oil costs), highlighting regulatory risk that could pressure margins in Europe. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An Exxon VP disclosed a sale of 3,230 shares (filed with the SEC); insider selling can be viewed negatively by some investors even if driven by personal reasons. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and research houses flag the risk that softer WTI/crude prices would hurt upstream earnings despite Exxon’s cost advantages — a direct earnings sensitivity to oil-price moves. Read More.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil 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.