Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Reaches New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a strong sell rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as high as $143.76 and last traded at $144.0080, with a volume of 8585096 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.40.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Exxon Mobil from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $171.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.27.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $351,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 28,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,349,758.96. This trade represents a 9.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Exxon Mobil

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $145 and reiterated a “buy” rating, signaling upside from institutional research. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly to $156 but kept an “overweight” rating — a sign large brokers still see meaningful upside after the Q4 results. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and analysis highlight XOM’s Q4 beat driven by Permian and Guyana output, which improves near-term cash flow and supports valuation arguments. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar notes continued execution and that Exxon is on track for its 2030 targets — a longer-term constructive signal for investors focused on strategy and returns. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary framing Exxon as a strong-value name despite weakness in oil prices may attract value-oriented and dividend-focused buyers. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga summarizes a mix of analyst forecast revisions following the Q4 report — helpful for tracking consensus estimates but not a single directional catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: A longer-form piece on dividend stocks mentions the sector and income appeal; this is background context that may support interest from income-focused investors but is not a direct company catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane downgraded XOM from “neutral” to “underperform” with a $125 price target — a bearish, high-profile call that can weigh on sentiment and pressure the stock. Read More.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of XOM. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,058,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $46,468,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111,231 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 96,307,931 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,345,132,000 after purchasing an additional 342,967 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the second quarter valued at $6,163,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,598,313 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,023,298,000 after buying an additional 1,274,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,026,019 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,963,934,000 after buying an additional 445,283 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $603.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $123.25 and its 200-day moving average is $116.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The business had revenue of $82.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Exxon Mobil’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is 61.58%.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil 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.