ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM Shares Sold by Macquarie Group Ltd.

Macquarie Group Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 50.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,496,066 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,539,006 shares during the period. ExxonMobil accounts for about 0.8% of Macquarie Group Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Macquarie Group Ltd.’s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $180,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XOM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in ExxonMobil in the 4th quarter valued at $7,625,063,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in ExxonMobil by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,605,353 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,608,488,000 after acquiring an additional 531,362 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in ExxonMobil by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,026,019 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,963,934,000 after acquiring an additional 445,283 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in ExxonMobil 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 acquiring an additional 2,660,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in ExxonMobil by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 33,620,927 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,790,773,000 after acquiring an additional 127,466 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ExxonMobil Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of ExxonMobil stock opened at $146.80 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $152.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ExxonMobil Corporation has a twelve month low of $105.53 and a twelve month high of $176.41. The stock has a market cap of $608.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.16.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.18. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 10.24%. The firm had revenue of $83.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $81.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.48%.

Trending Headlines about ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for ExxonMobil, signaling confidence in the company’s profit outlook and providing a supportive fundamental backdrop for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that ExxonMobil is exploring potential acquisition targets, including Australia’s Woodside Energy Group, suggest management may be looking to expand its natural gas footprint and pursue growth through M&A. Article: Exxon Mobil evaluates potential buyout of Australia Woodside Energy, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary describing ExxonMobil as a “constructive” value idea, along with articles highlighting its low debt and ability to handle business uncertainty, points to continued appeal as a defensive energy name.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy stocks were higher late Friday, which likely lifted ExxonMobil along with the sector. Article: Sector Update: Energy Stocks Higher Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets also reported that ExxonMobil’s head of global trading is set to retire, but the move looks more like a routine leadership change than a major business disruption. Article: Exxon Mobil set to place Alex Volkov as head of global trading, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting ExxonMobil’s strong one-year share gains may reinforce the stock’s valuation debate, but they are unlikely to be the main driver of near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon’s planned work at its Beaumont, Texas complex could create temporary operational noise, though the notice did not suggest a major outage or earnings issue. Article: Exxon plans work at Beaumont, Texas complex, says online notice

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded ExxonMobil from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ExxonMobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total value of $167,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 17,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,662,782. This represents a 5.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil 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.