ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) Stock Gets Price Target Boost from Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised ExxonMobil’s price target from $177 to $185 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 5.9% upside from the reported $174.69 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: 11 analysts rate ExxonMobil a Buy and 14 rate it a Hold, producing an overall “Hold” consensus and average price target of $165.13.
• ExxonMobil reported quarterly EPS of $3.52, slightly below the $3.56 consensus, but revenue of $114.53 billion exceeded expectations; institutional investors own approximately 61.8% of the company.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $177.00 to $185.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price indicates a potential upside of 5.90% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on XOM. Weiss Ratings upgraded ExxonMobil from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Bank of America lowered shares of ExxonMobil from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $154.00 to $158.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of ExxonMobil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group set a $172.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $184.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ExxonMobil has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $165.13.

ExxonMobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:XOM traded down $2.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $174.69. 4,867,010 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,951,621. The firm has a market cap of $724.09 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.21. ExxonMobil has a fifty-two week low of $110.39 and a fifty-two week high of $178.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.39.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $114.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.94 billion. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 13.14% and a net margin of 8.88%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that ExxonMobil will post 12.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ExxonMobil

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in ExxonMobil by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 28,364,314 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,812,790,000 after buying an additional 1,540,902 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in ExxonMobil by 5.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 24,511,156 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,158,563,000 after buying an additional 1,192,386 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC increased its position in ExxonMobil by 153.3% during the second quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,307,497,000 after buying an additional 10,214,420 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.9% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,376,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,099,783,000 after acquiring an additional 693,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,367,358 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,089,988,000 after acquiring an additional 577,181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Exxon’s integrated business, low-cost Permian and Guyana production, and strong balance sheet could help protect cash flow and the dividend even if oil prices fall toward $79 per barrel by 2027. Exxon's Dividend Stays Safe Even if Oil Crashes to $79 a Barrel
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded XOM to Rank #2, or Buy, citing improving earnings prospects. Erste Group also raised its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts, providing additional support for the bullish case. Exxon Rating Upgrade to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Exxon is pursuing another potential growth opportunity in Trinidad, seeking to replicate its Guyana success. Its existing operations remain profitable, while chemical earnings rebounded sharply in the latest quarter. Exxon Wants to Repeat Its Guyana Success in Trinidad
• Neutral Sentiment: Exxon’s integrated model and higher-margin assets make it a relatively defensive energy investment. However, chemical profitability depends partly on North American feedstock advantages that could narrow. ExxonMobil Chemical Recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is the main near-term pressure. Commentary argues that Exxon’s roughly 22-times earnings valuation—and approximately 29-times normalized P/E in one analysis—already reflects much of its operational quality and recent gains. ExxonMobil Valuation Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Oil-price sensitivity remains a risk: cash flow benefits significantly when crude exceeds $90 per barrel, while a potential decline toward $79 could reduce upstream earnings. Guyana may also scale back LNG plans as Exxon requires more gas for its wells, adding uncertainty around future growth. Guyana LNG Plans

ExxonMobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation, commonly known as ExxonMobil, is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. The company also manufactures and markets fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and specialty products used in transportation, industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil operates across the energy value chain through businesses that include upstream oil and natural gas production, refining and fuels marketing, chemical manufacturing, and lower-carbon solutions.

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