Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Cuts Holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,268 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 198 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $3,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 8,582 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $923,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XOM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $109.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $473.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.91, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52-week low of $103.67 and a 52-week high of $126.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $109.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.87.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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