Cerity Partners LLC Reduces Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Cerity Partners LLC trimmed its position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,855,958 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 24,278 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $201,578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $104.17 on Monday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $98.75 and a fifty-two week high of $126.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $452.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $111.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 last year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.80%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on XOM. BMO Capital Markets cut 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Bernstein Bank lifted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities 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 MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.80.

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.