Sit Investment Associates Inc. Sells 8,705 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Sit Investment Associates Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,450 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 8,705 shares during the period. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $6,287,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 8.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,709,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $786,453,000 after acquiring an additional 521,932 shares in the last quarter. United Bank boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 17,920 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,101,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 10.7% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 862,807 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $101,138,000 after buying an additional 83,740 shares in the last quarter. Goldstream Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the third quarter valued at approximately $929,000. Finally, Castleark Management LLC boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 148.7% during the third quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 44,200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,181,000 after purchasing an additional 26,430 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on XOM shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.80.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $104.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $452.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.16 and its 200-day moving average is $113.81. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $103.67 and a 1-year high of $126.34.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,989,570. This 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 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.