Alta Advisers Ltd Acquires 2,264 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Alta Advisers Ltd raised its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 18.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,758 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,264 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil accounts for about 1.0% of Alta Advisers Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Alta Advisers Ltd’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $1,588,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $131.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.75.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

XOM stock opened at $105.39 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $109.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.54. 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 $97.80 and a 1 year high of $126.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $455.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the company posted $2.48 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 50.51%.

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.