Verus Capital Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Verus Capital Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 66.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 59,766 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 119,756 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 0.6% of Verus Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $6,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 151,863,649 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $17,801,457,000 after purchasing an additional 395,218 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 92,194,981 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,777,735,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622,064 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,731,263,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,936,929,000 after buying an additional 4,415,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,160,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,652,589,000 after buying an additional 146,374 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $111.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market cap of $483.08 billion, a PE ratio of 14.20, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $108.95 and its 200 day moving average is $114.23. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52 week low of $104.03 and a 52 week high of $126.34.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XOM has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Bernstein Bank raised their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.