ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

XOM has been the subject of several other reports. DZ Bank cut ExxonMobil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $156.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of ExxonMobil in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of ExxonMobil from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.45.

ExxonMobil Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $159.53 on Friday. ExxonMobil has a fifty-two week low of $108.35 and a fifty-two week high of $176.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $152.25. The company has a market cap of $661.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.18.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.56 by ($0.04). ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 13.14% and a net margin of 8.88%.The firm had revenue of $114.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ExxonMobil will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio is 53.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in XOM. Avant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 0.6% in the second quarter. Avant Capital LLC now owns 11,182 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 12,017 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,039,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance increased its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance now owns 3,720 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,805 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ICW Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in ExxonMobil by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil prices and tighter refining capacity could support near-term earnings. Growth from Guyana and the Permian Basin strengthens ExxonMobil’s production outlook. Can ExxonMobil Benefit From the Current Energy Market Tightness?
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil’s dividend remains a key attraction. The company appears positioned for a 44th consecutive annual payout increase, while second-quarter free cash flow exceeded dividend payments by nearly $13 billion. Management has also indicated that free cash flow could potentially double by 2030. 2 Energy Dividend Stocks With Growing Payouts, Led by ExxonMobil
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investment commentary continues to identify XOM as an attractive value and high-yield income stock, which may support demand from long-term and dividend-focused investors. 2 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Worth Buying Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: The bullish outlook depends heavily on sustained oil prices and refining tightness. ExxonMobil’s latest reported quarter included earnings per share below consensus, although revenue exceeded expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: ExxonMobil was reportedly excluded from a White House meeting with major oil executives focused on gasoline prices, refinery capacity and retail fuel costs. The exclusion was linked to prior political friction over potential investments in Venezuela, creating concerns about regulatory access and political relations. ExxonMobil Was Excluded From a White House Oil Meeting
• Negative Sentiment: A sharp decline in crude prices remains the primary risk to ExxonMobil’s cash flow, earnings and dividend coverage despite its current financial strength. Exxon’s Dividend Looks Safe Today—but What If Oil Prices Tumble?

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.