Brown Advisory Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,867,893 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 12,368 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.’s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $224,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bollard Group LLC grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 30,813 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,708,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Carl Stuart Investment Advisor Inc. grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Carl Stuart Investment Advisor Inc. now owns 12,913 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,554,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. 1 North Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. 1 North Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,676 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. now owns 1,318,055 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $158,615,000 after purchasing an additional 16,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 80,464 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,683,000 after purchasing an additional 4,964 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ExxonMobil Stock Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $146.80 on Friday. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.53 and a 52-week high of $176.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $608.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $152.09 and a 200-day moving average of $142.36.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.18. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 10.24%. The company had revenue of $83.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. ExxonMobil’s payout ratio is currently 69.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $128.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $172.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of ExxonMobil from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of ExxonMobil from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.55.

Key ExxonMobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for ExxonMobil, signaling confidence in the company’s profit outlook and providing a supportive fundamental backdrop for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that ExxonMobil is exploring potential acquisition targets, including Australia’s Woodside Energy Group, suggest management may be looking to expand its natural gas footprint and pursue growth through M&A. Article: Exxon Mobil evaluates potential buyout of Australia Woodside Energy, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary describing ExxonMobil as a “constructive” value idea, along with articles highlighting its low debt and ability to handle business uncertainty, points to continued appeal as a defensive energy name.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy stocks were higher late Friday, which likely lifted ExxonMobil along with the sector. Article: Sector Update: Energy Stocks Higher Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets also reported that ExxonMobil’s head of global trading is set to retire, but the move looks more like a routine leadership change than a major business disruption. Article: Exxon Mobil set to place Alex Volkov as head of global trading, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting ExxonMobil’s strong one-year share gains may reinforce the stock’s valuation debate, but they are unlikely to be the main driver of near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon’s planned work at its Beaumont, Texas complex could create temporary operational noise, though the notice did not suggest a major outage or earnings issue. Article: Exxon plans work at Beaumont, Texas complex, says online notice

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of ExxonMobil stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total transaction of $167,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 17,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,662,782. The trade was a 5.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

About ExxonMobil

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.