Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM)

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders purchased 111,114 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 30% compared to the typical daily volume of 85,524 call options.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

NYSE:XOM opened at $149.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $629.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.39. Exxon Mobil has a twelve month low of $97.80 and a twelve month high of $149.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $125.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.36. 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 issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $82.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company 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 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total value of $698,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 23,584 shares in the company, valued at $3,295,864. The trade was a 17.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock worth $1,406,570. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 456.1% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Exxon Mobil

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity — traders bought ~111,114 XOM call contracts (about 30% above typical call volume), signalling short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Exxon is expanding production in several OPEC‑linked nations with U.S. administration support, which investors interpret as accelerated growth/market access upside. Exxon Mobil Stock Is Rising Today: What’s Going?
• Positive Sentiment: Operational growth: Exxon is pushing Permian output using new tech and plans further production increases — supports higher future cash flow expectations. ExxonMobil’s Permian Push: Here’s What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Refinery/asset progress: startup of a new Baytown unit reduces execution risk and should support downstream margins/volumes. Exxon Mobil starts up new Baytown unit
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst/upgrades momentum and bullish coverage (Evercore keeping buy, several upgrades) has supported sentiment and helped lift the stock into a new 1‑year range. Evercore ISI Keeps Their Buy Rating on Exxon Mobil (XOM)
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio refocus: Exxon closed the Fife plant and struck a Colombia deal — strategic reshaping that could improve long‑term mix but may not meaningfully change near‑term cash flow. ExxonMobil Refocuses Portfolio With Colombia Deal And Fife Plant Closure
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/sector tailwinds: energy sector rotation and favorable commodity factors (weather-driven gas drawdowns, higher oil demand forecasts) support XOM, but they are macro drivers shared across peers. Energy sector context and XOM commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Broker pushback: BNP Paribas Exane downgraded XOM to Underperform, creating some selling pressure and adding analyst divergence risk. BNP Paribas Exane Downgrades Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) to Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: an officer sold 5,000 shares — a small signal that may be noticed by some investors but is not material to company fundamentals. Darrin Talley Sells 5,000 Shares of Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on XOM. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $144.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.59.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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.