ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 3.4% – Should You Buy?

ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) rose 3.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $149.72 and last traded at $149.4380. Approximately 14,312,932 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 21,487,887 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.57.

Key ExxonMobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rising geopolitical risk and reports that Iran’s main oil terminal has gone dark are supporting crude prices, which can boost ExxonMobil’s upstream earnings and free cash flow. Trump Walks Into Beijing with a New Ace Card: Iran’s Main Oil Terminal Has Gone Dark
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary says ExxonMobil could benefit from a powerful refining margin environment, since its Beaumont refinery can process large volumes of discounted crude while selling fuels into a tighter global market. The Great SPR Arbitrage: An Oil Market Glitch Fuels Sector Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reported that proxy advisers Glass Lewis and ISS are opposing some of Exxon’s board positions ahead of the annual meeting, including the proposal to redomicile in Texas. This creates a governance overhang, but it is not directly tied to operations. Exxon, Chevron face dissent from proxy firms ahead of annual meetings
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor articles continue to highlight ExxonMobil as a blue-chip dividend and long-term energy holding, reflecting steady sentiment rather than a new catalyst. If You Buy ExxonMobil (XOM) Stock Today, Here’s Where It Could Be in 5 Years
• Negative Sentiment: ISS also recommended investors vote against Exxon’s move to Texas, which could raise concerns about shareholder accountability and weigh on sentiment around the annual meeting. ISS recommends shareholders vote against Exxon moving its registration to Texas

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XOM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HSBC boosted their price objective on ExxonMobil from $135.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research raised ExxonMobil from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on ExxonMobil from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $165.00 price objective on ExxonMobil and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.95.

ExxonMobil Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $628.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $154.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.18. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company had revenue of $83.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. ExxonMobil’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.48%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $339,313.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 18,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,872,955.28. This represents a 10.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ExxonMobil

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its stake in ExxonMobil by 2.6% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 215,892 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $24,342,000 after buying an additional 5,573 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in ExxonMobil by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 231,488 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,857,000 after buying an additional 14,233 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in ExxonMobil by 5.6% during the third quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 166,547 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $18,778,000 after acquiring an additional 8,853 shares during the last quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC lifted its position in ExxonMobil by 78.3% during the third quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 13,180 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,486,000 after acquiring an additional 5,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC lifted its position in ExxonMobil by 46.6% during the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 35,160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,997,000 after acquiring an additional 11,177 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ExxonMobil Company Profile

ExxonMobil 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.