Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Purchases 7,517 Shares of ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,152,267 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,517 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $138,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.0% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,026,019 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,963,934,000 after buying an additional 445,283 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $4,366,655,000 after buying an additional 2,660,910 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 0.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 33,620,927 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,790,773,000 after buying an additional 127,466 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 31,194,493 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,517,179,000 after buying an additional 340,785 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 4.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 20,396,334 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,299,687,000 after buying an additional 886,087 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on XOM. HSBC increased their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $135.00 to $158.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $140.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.95.

ExxonMobil News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High oil prices are expected to support ExxonMobil’s exploration and production earnings, with stronger Permian recoveries and Guyana output helping profitability. How Will High Oil Prices Aid ExxonMobil’s Energy Business?
• Positive Sentiment: A Texas jury found ExxonMobil not liable in a long-running investor lawsuit tied to Canadian oil sands and Rocky Mountain gas disclosures, removing a legal overhang. Exxon Mobil not liable to investors over Canadian oil sands, gas assets, jury says
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil resumed drilling in Guyana’s Canje block, which could support longer-term growth if exploration results are encouraging. Exxon resumes drilling in Guyana’s Canje block after four-year absence
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein cut ExxonMobil’s price target from $195 to $182, which may temper some near-term enthusiasm despite continued analyst interest. Exxon Mobil (XOM) Price Target Trimmed by $13 at Bernstein
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors are pushing back on ExxonMobil’s plan to move its incorporation from New Jersey to Texas, citing governance and shareholder-rights concerns. Exxon Mobil Texas Move Pits Shareholder Rights Against Governance Goals

ExxonMobil Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of XOM opened at $157.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $653.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 12 month low of $101.18 and a 12 month high of $176.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $155.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.45.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $83.16 billion during 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. ExxonMobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ExxonMobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total transaction of $167,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 17,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,662,782. This trade represents a 5.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

About ExxonMobil

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.