Vertex Planning Partners LLC Increases Stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,144 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 366 shares during the quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,936,737,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,731,263,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,694 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $585,818,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,603 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 13,899.5% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,888,812 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,963,000 after purchasing an additional 1,875,320 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $117.94 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $511.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. Exxon Mobil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $103.67 and a fifty-two week high of $126.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.67.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 EPS 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 quarter last year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on XOM. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Exxon Mobil

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.