Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Down 2.5% Following Insider Selling

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)’s share price dropped 2.5% during trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $114.61 and last traded at $114.7680. Approximately 17,609,149 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 9% from the average daily volume of 16,087,596 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.76.

Specifically, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.75, for a total value of $356,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 31,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,750,600. This represents a 8.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on XOM. BNP Paribas Exane raised Exxon Mobil from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Exxon Mobil in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.45.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $494.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.24 and a beta of 0.38.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The company had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1,500.0% during the first quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 121.8% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.