Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM)

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 105,439 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 35% compared to the typical daily volume of 78,022 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on XOM. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM traded down $2.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $105.51. The stock had a trading volume of 24,812,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,254,163. The firm has a market cap of $457.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.46, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.04. Exxon Mobil has a twelve month low of $103.67 and a twelve month high of $126.34.

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

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.9% in the third quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the third quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 8,582 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $923,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Exxon Mobil

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.