Dearborn Partners LLC Decreases Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Dearborn Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 409,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,134 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 1.8% of Dearborn Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $44,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $111.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $485.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52-week low of $103.67 and a 52-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.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on XOM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.