Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 2% – Time to Buy?

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) traded up 2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $119.18 and last traded at $118.88. 4,123,573 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 14,901,843 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on XOM. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Bernstein Bank increased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, HSBC dropped 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. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.15.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $110.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $513.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

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.