Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 280,056 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,860,974 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 280,056 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil comprises 0.4% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $307,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new position in Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XOM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. HSBC decreased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.80.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of Exxon Mobil stock opened at $104.17 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $111.16 and its 200 day moving average is $113.81. Exxon Mobil Co. has a one year low of $103.67 and a one year 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 has a market cap of $452.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.60.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

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.