ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Reaches New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $179.30 and last traded at $178.3620, with a volume of 11,124,509 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $178.98.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen raised ExxonMobil to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. HSBC reissued a “hold” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Friday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $158.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of ExxonMobil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $154.00 to $158.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ExxonMobil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $167.70.

Key Stories Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and target increases: Zacks Research upgraded ExxonMobil from “hold” to “strong buy,” while Barclays raised its price target. These actions reinforce the bullish view and may support continued investor demand. Zacks upgrades ExxonMobil to strong buy Barclays raises ExxonMobil price target
• Positive Sentiment: Upstream growth potential: ExxonMobil’s low-cost Permian and Guyana assets could expand production through 2030. Higher crude prices and disciplined capital spending are improving project economics, while Guyana’s stronger-than-expected returns have accelerated investment recovery. ExxonMobil long-term upstream production capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive oil market: Rising crude prices have helped lift ExxonMobil’s earnings outlook and share performance. The stock has substantially outperformed the broader market over the past year, benefiting from its integrated energy model and exposure to higher oil prices. Events that could move ExxonMobil stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional exploration catalyst: ExxonMobil is preparing to drill an exploration well in Trinidad after completing seismic work. A discovery could add future reserves, but the outcome and commercial viability remain uncertain. ExxonMobil Trinidad exploration well
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks: ExxonMobil is trading near its recent high after a major advance, leaving the stock more sensitive to weaker oil prices or disappointing earnings. Its latest quarterly EPS modestly missed consensus, despite revenue exceeding estimates, making the upcoming earnings report an important near-term catalyst.

Institutional Trading of ExxonMobil

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in ExxonMobil by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 28,364,314 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,812,790,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540,902 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 24,511,156 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,158,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192,386 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 153.3% in the 2nd quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,307,497,000 after purchasing an additional 10,214,420 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,376,418 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,099,783,000 after purchasing an additional 693,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.8% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 9,664,021 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,321,265,000 after purchasing an additional 166,268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

ExxonMobil Stock Up 0.2%

The firm has a market cap of $738.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $164.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.04). ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 13.14%. The firm had revenue of $114.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 12.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. ExxonMobil’s payout ratio is 53.02%.

ExxonMobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. Its operations span the energy value chain, from resource development and refining to the marketing and distribution of fuels and other energy products.

Through its Energy Products segment, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, and other petroleum-based products. Its Chemical Products business produces petrochemicals, including commodity and performance products used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials, and consumer goods.