Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Price Target Raised to $172.00 at Morgan Stanley

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $134.00 to $172.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on XOM. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Friday, January 16th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Exxon Mobil from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $125.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.00.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

XOM opened at $171.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $128.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $713.22 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.35. Exxon Mobil has a 1 year low of $97.80 and a 1 year high of $171.23.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $80.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. Exxon Mobil’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th were issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total value of $167,940.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 17,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,662,782. This represents a 5.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,625,063,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 150.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,602,601 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $819,560,000 after acquiring an additional 4,563,707 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 200.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,014,446 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $217,162,000 after acquiring an additional 4,015,099 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 38,728,643 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,366,655,000 after acquiring an additional 2,660,910 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 218.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,380,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $155,696,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546,791 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

More Exxon Mobil News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rising crude and geopolitical risk lift near‑term outlook — higher oil prices from Middle East tensions are cited as a catalyst for stronger cash flow and earnings potential for Exxon. What Lies Ahead for ExxonMobil Amid Surging Crude Prices?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and target hikes: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $172 and kept an Overweight rating, supporting higher sentiment and buying. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price recommendation to $195 (from $159) and reiterated Outperform, adding upside to estimates and investor interest. Bernstein Raises Exxon Target
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrades to earnings forecasts: Erste Group lifted FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, implying stronger forward earnings than consensus. MarketBeat: Erste Group note
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options flow — traders bought ~163,879 XOM call contracts (about a 30% increase vs. typical call volume), indicating speculative or hedged bullish bets that likely boosted intraday demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational execution: Exxon participated in the industry’s first fully automated offshore well placement in Guyana, showcasing tech-led efficiency gains that can lower costs and speed production growth. Halliburton & Guyana automation
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic portfolio moves: Exxon is weighing an exit from New Zealand to refocus on higher‑return advantaged assets — a potential long‑term efficiency play but not an immediate earnings driver. Exxon New Zealand exit
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and downside risk commentary: Several pieces note XOM’s valuation has risen sharply (one piece highlights XOM exceeding Nvidia by some measures) and question whether elevated oil prices could later expose valuation downside if prices normalize. Exxon vs. Nvidia valuation discussion
• Negative Sentiment: “Tailwind or trap?” analysts warn that while oil >$95 helps earnings now, higher valuations and sustained high prices raise the risk of sharper downside if geopolitical tensions ease. Oil Over $95: Tailwind or Trap?

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.