Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Down 1.8% – Here’s Why

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) shares fell 1.8% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $106.01 and last traded at $106.83. 17,827,897 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the average session volume of 14,599,773 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on XOM. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $118.00 to $120.00 in a report on Thursday, October 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 report on Monday, December 16th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Mizuho reduced 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.74.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $469.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.01. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.61% and a return on equity of 14.73%. The company had revenue of $90.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.27 EPS. Exxon Mobil’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. This is a positive change from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 49.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vertex Planning Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.1% during the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Etfidea LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Etfidea LLC now owns 2,669 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% in the second quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 15.2% in the second quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Heartland Consultants Inc. boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% during the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.