Chiron Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Chiron Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 48.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 53,090 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 17,346 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 1.9% of Chiron Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Chiron Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $5,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth about $6,936,737,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 worth $585,818,000 after buying an additional 5,110,603 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% during 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 buying an additional 4,415,012 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 13,899.5% during the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 1,875,320 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $103.05 on Monday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a one year low of $97.80 and a one year high of $126.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $110.33 and a 200 day moving average of $113.19. 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 company has a market capitalization of $445.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.14, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61.

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 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.48 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on XOM. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.95.

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.