Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 1.4% Higher – Still a Buy?

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) shares were up 1.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $124.86 and last traded at $124.5960. Approximately 16,088,428 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 20,705,031 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.91.

Key Exxon Mobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. push on Venezuela raises the prospect of new upstream opportunities for major oil names, and media/market commentary (including Jim Cramer) has highlighted Exxon as a potential beneficiary—supporting upside investor sentiment. Jim Cramer discusses Exxon (XOM) & Venezuela operation
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkey’s national oil company to explore untapped Black Sea and Mediterranean acreage—a near‑term growth/production prospect that investors view positively. ExxonMobil Enters Exploration MoU With Turkey’s National Oil Company
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary notes Exxon’s strong history of earnings beats and the company’s mix of upstream/refining businesses that can produce upside surprises—supporting expectations for another solid report. Will Exxon (XOM) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlights Exxon’s integrated model—refining and marketing gains can offset upstream weakness—reducing earnings volatility but limiting upside tied solely to crude prices. XOM’s Integrated Business Model Shields Earnings Amid Lower Oil Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces also highlight Exxon’s low‑carbon projects (CCS, hydrogen, lithium) and durable dividend profile—longer‑term positives but less likely to move near‑term price action. Will ExxonMobil’s Low-Carbon Business Act as Its Next Growth Engine?
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon warned that lower liquids/crude prices could cut fourth‑quarter upstream profit by roughly $800M–$1.2B versus Q3—an explicit near‑term earnings headwind that pressured the stock on earlier headlines. Exxon signals fall in fourth-quarter upstream profit
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets repeated the warning (and at least one analyst downgrade followed), keeping downside risk if oil prices remain weak into the quarter close. Exxon Mobil Tells Investors Falling Oil Prices Will Dent Profits

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on XOM shares. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Exxon Mobil from $144.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $129.71.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 1.4%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $117.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $525.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 7.30 and a beta of 0.37.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The firm had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This is an increase from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.88%.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $351,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 28,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,349,758.96. The trade was a 9.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Keb Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Keb Asset Management LLC now owns 12,977 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 27,457 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,304,000 after buying an additional 2,422 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. now owns 11,351 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Clear Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth $28,728,000. Finally, BOS Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. BOS Asset Management LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,998,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is an integrated oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals. Its operations span the full energy value chain, including upstream exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas; midstream transportation and storage; and downstream refining, product distribution and retail. The company also produces a broad range of chemical products for industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under well-known brands such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, and its Mobil 1 motor oil is a prominent consumer product.