National Pension Service Raises Stake in ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

National Pension Service lifted its stake in ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,664,021 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 166,268 shares during the period. ExxonMobil makes up 0.9% of National Pension Service’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. National Pension Service owned 0.23% of ExxonMobil worth $1,321,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in ExxonMobil by 14,136.6% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 696,207,635 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $95,185,508,000 after purchasing an additional 691,317,352 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of ExxonMobil in the fourth quarter valued at $7,625,063,000. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 153.3% during the 2nd quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,307,497,000 after buying an additional 10,214,420 shares during the last quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ExxonMobil during the 1st quarter worth $965,932,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil in the 1st quarter worth about $766,345,000. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key ExxonMobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New Angola oil discovery: ExxonMobil, Angola’s National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency and Block 15 partners announced an oil discovery at the Vicango Este-01 exploration well. The discovery—reported as the 20th in Block 15—could strengthen ExxonMobil’s long-term production pipeline, although its eventual financial contribution depends on appraisal and development. Angola offshore discovery article
• Positive Sentiment: Oil-price tailwind: Brent crude moved above $100 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate surpassed $95 as Middle East tensions increased supply-risk concerns. Higher crude prices generally support ExxonMobil’s upstream earnings and cash flow, helping explain the stock’s advance. Energy ETFs and oil prices article
• Positive Sentiment: Portfolio and balance-sheet support: ExxonMobil is set to assume operatorship of Papua LNG from TotalEnergies, while its Pioneer subsidiary launched cash tender offers for $2.1 billion of senior notes. The transactions may improve portfolio control and optimize debt, reinforcing the company’s financial flexibility. Papua LNG operatorship article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor presentation and valuation: ExxonMobil’s Barclays energy conference presentation highlighted its operating strategy and exposure to favorable oil prices. Commentary noted that the stock has gained substantially this year and could approach $200 if crude prices and earnings remain strong, but that outcome is highly dependent on external commodity markets. ExxonMobil oil prices and $200 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Key risks remain: Analysts and commentators warned that the recent rally may rely heavily on a temporary “war premium” in crude prices. ExxonMobil also faces ongoing uncertainty around Kazakhstan’s Kashagan environmental dispute and potential political risk in Venezuela. Kashagan dispute article

ExxonMobil Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of ExxonMobil stock opened at $164.41 on Thursday. ExxonMobil Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $110.39 and a fifty-two week high of $176.41. The firm has a market cap of $681.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $154.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $114.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.94 billion. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 13.14%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. Analysts anticipate that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. ExxonMobil’s payout ratio is 53.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on XOM shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $158.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $168.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. DZ Bank downgraded ExxonMobil from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $156.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised ExxonMobil to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.45.

ExxonMobil Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil, is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. Its upstream operations support oil and natural gas production in multiple regions worldwide, while its downstream businesses refine crude oil into fuels and other petroleum products for commercial, industrial and consumer markets.

Through its product solutions businesses, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets lubricants, specialty fluids, petroleum-derived products and chemical products, including commodity and performance chemicals used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials and other industrial applications.