Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its stake in Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 90,501 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $10,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 15.3% in the first quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Exxon Mobil during the first quarter valued at approximately $305,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,237 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 21,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,352,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 17.4% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 36,710 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,957,000 after acquiring an additional 5,443 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of XOM stock opened at $163.10 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $679.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.35. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 1 year low of $97.80 and a 1 year high of $167.48. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. Research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total transaction of $698,750.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $148.89.

Key Stories Impacting Exxon Mobil

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical risk in the Middle East has pushed oil prices higher and lifted energy stocks broadly, supporting Exxon’s recent rally as investors price in tighter supply. As the Oil Shock Sends Energy Stocks Soaring, Buy These 3 Now
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon has a team in Venezuela assessing oil and gas resources and infrastructure — a potential source of upstream growth if sanctions/terms allow commercial activity. That signals management is exploring reserve and production upside. CERAWEEK Exxon says its team is in Venezuela evaluating oil opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil Guyana Ltd. has begun FEED activity for the Longtail FPSO (contract awarded to SBM Offshore), confirming ongoing capital deployment in high-return Guyana developments that underpin future production growth. SBM Offshore awarded FEED contracts for the Longtail project in Guyana
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst pieces and commentary highlight potential earnings upside for big oil (including Exxon) from higher crude prices tied to the Iran-related conflict — supportive for forward earnings expectations. Exxon Mobil: Iran War Creates Earnings Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and stock?pick pieces continue to profile XOM as a long?term core energy holding; these long?horizon endorsements support steady buy interest but don’t eliminate near?term volatility. 2 of the Best Oil Stocks to Buy Now and Hold for Decades
• Neutral Sentiment: Price forecasts and analyst models (e.g., price?prediction pieces) keep XOM on investors’ radar but vary widely; these generate trading activity without a clear directional catalyst. XOM Stock Price Prediction
• Negative Sentiment: Chatter about de?escalation has intermittently pulled oil prices back, and macro / war?related risks (economic dislocation if conflict widens) create downside volatility for energy shares. That fear-driven selling helps explain today’s decline. Oil Eases on De-Escalation Buzz but Risks Persist: 3 Stocks to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Broader economic and market risks from a prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict (signal from bond and oil market stress) could dent industrial demand and investor risk appetite, pressuring cyclicals like XOM if the situation worsens. Economic risks of U.S. war on Iran keep mounting

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.