Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $138.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Bernstein Bank increased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of XOM opened at $108.33 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $476.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. Exxon Mobil has a 52 week low of $100.42 and a 52 week high of $126.34. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.05.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.