Synovus Financial Corp Buys 19,758 Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 374,134 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,758 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $42,188,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the 2nd quarter worth $6,163,719,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 150.2% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,602,601 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $819,560,000 after acquiring an additional 4,563,707 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 200.7% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,014,446 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $217,162,000 after acquiring an additional 4,015,099 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 10,809.8% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,095,106 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $333,652,000 after acquiring an additional 3,066,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 119.4% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,672,359 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $301,310,000 after acquiring an additional 1,454,308 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Exxon says it is committed to moving quickly to develop natural gas in Guyana — a growth market that could expand upstream volumes and long?term gas revenues if timelines hold. Exxon committed to moving fast to develop gas in Guyana, executive says
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon will have senior management (Jack Williams) speaking at the Morgan Stanley Energy & Power Conference on March 3 — an opportunity for management to discuss capital allocation, Guyana progress and shareholder returns directly with investors. ExxonMobil to Speak at Morgan Stanley Energy & Power Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market activity is being analyzed for signals on near?term positioning; such flows can indicate trader sentiment but don’t always translate to directional moves in the equity. What the Options Market Tells Us About Exxon Mobil
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation review notes mixed signals on Exxon’s long?term returns — attractive dividend/cash flow metrics vs. capital intensity and transition risks — implying more nuance than a simple buy/sell call. Assessing Exxon Mobil (XOM) Valuation As Mixed Signals Emerge On Long Term Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Round?up and dividend/stability lists mention Exxon as a dividend income option; useful for long?term income investors but unlikely to move price sharply on its own. Want Decades of Passive Income? 3 Stocks to Buy Right Now
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage consensus/target coverage published a mean target (~$140.59) below the current trading level, which could cap upside and prompt profit?taking if analysts don’t lift targets. Brokerages Set Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) Target Price at $140.59
• Negative Sentiment: Australia’s Federal Court fined Mobil Oil Australia A$16M (~$11.3M) for misleading petrol claims — a reputational and small financial hit that highlights regional regulatory/legal risk. Australian court fines Exxon’s local petrol brand $11.3 million for misleading claims

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of XOM stock opened at $150.64 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a twelve month low of $97.80 and a twelve month high of $156.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $131.09 and a 200 day moving average of $119.55. The stock has a market cap of $635.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XOM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.59.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total value of $698,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 14,230 shares of company stock worth $1,888,421 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% 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.