Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 1.4% – Here’s Why

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) shot up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $124.86 and last traded at $124.5960. 16,088,428 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 20,705,031 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.91.

Key Headlines Impacting Exxon Mobil

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. push on Venezuela raises the prospect of new upstream opportunities for major oil names, and media/market commentary (including Jim Cramer) has highlighted Exxon as a potential beneficiary—supporting upside investor sentiment. Jim Cramer discusses Exxon (XOM) & Venezuela operation
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkey’s national oil company to explore untapped Black Sea and Mediterranean acreage—a near?term growth/production prospect that investors view positively. ExxonMobil Enters Exploration MoU With Turkey’s National Oil Company
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary notes Exxon’s strong history of earnings beats and the company’s mix of upstream/refining businesses that can produce upside surprises—supporting expectations for another solid report. Will Exxon (XOM) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlights Exxon’s integrated model—refining and marketing gains can offset upstream weakness—reducing earnings volatility but limiting upside tied solely to crude prices. XOM’s Integrated Business Model Shields Earnings Amid Lower Oil Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces also highlight Exxon’s low?carbon projects (CCS, hydrogen, lithium) and durable dividend profile—longer?term positives but less likely to move near?term price action. Will ExxonMobil’s Low-Carbon Business Act as Its Next Growth Engine?
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon warned that lower liquids/crude prices could cut fourth?quarter upstream profit by roughly $800M–$1.2B versus Q3—an explicit near?term earnings headwind that pressured the stock on earlier headlines. Exxon signals fall in fourth-quarter upstream profit
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets repeated the warning (and at least one analyst downgrade followed), keeping downside risk if oil prices remain weak into the quarter close. Exxon Mobil Tells Investors Falling Oil Prices Will Dent Profits

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on XOM. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Exxon Mobil from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Exxon Mobil from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.71.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $525.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.11, a PEG ratio of 7.30 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $117.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.78.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 8.99%. On average, equities analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This is a positive change from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.88%.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $351,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 28,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,349,758.96. This trade represents a 9.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westfuller Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the third quarter worth $30,000. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1,595.2% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 121.8% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

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.