NFJ Investment Group LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

NFJ Investment Group LLC trimmed its position in ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 63.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 121,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 210,754 shares during the quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC’s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $14,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of XOM. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil in the fourth quarter worth about $7,625,063,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 7.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 38,728,643 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,366,655,000 after buying an additional 2,660,910 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 218.4% in the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,380,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $155,696,000 after buying an additional 2,546,791 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 15,997,332 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,925,119,000 after buying an additional 2,465,410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 334.4% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,062,497 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $368,541,000 after buying an additional 2,357,467 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ExxonMobil Stock Down 0.1%

XOM stock opened at $146.80 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company’s 50 day moving average is $152.09 and its 200 day moving average is $142.55. The stock has a market cap of $608.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.16. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.53 and a 1-year high of $176.41.

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

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

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

ExxonMobil News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XOM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $172.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ExxonMobil has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.55.

ExxonMobil Profile

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.