First Eagle Investment Management LLC Reduces Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,681,886 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,482,231 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil accounts for approximately 2.1% of First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $933,910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,731,263,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $585,818,000 after buying an additional 5,110,603 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 4,415,012 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 13,899.5% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,888,812 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after buying an additional 1,875,320 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 11,131.0% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,792,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $192,853,000 after buying an additional 1,776,848 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of XOM opened at $108.58 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a twelve month low of $103.67 and a twelve month high of $126.34. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $471.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.85, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on XOM shares. HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bernstein Bank upped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.