Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,305 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 1.0% of Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $4,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of XOM. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 151,863,649 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,801,457,000 after acquiring an additional 395,218 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 92,194,981 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,777,735,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622,064 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,731,263,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,936,929,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,160,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,652,589,000 after buying an additional 146,374 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

Shares of Exxon Mobil stock opened at $110.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $477.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1 year low of $104.00 and a 1 year high of $126.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $108.84 and its 200 day moving average is $114.31.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 50.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XOM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $138.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.25.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.03% 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.