Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO) Receives Consensus Rating of "Strong Sell" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is strongly negative: Nine firms covering Imperial Oil rate it “Strong Sell,” with five sells and four holds. The average 12-month price target is $116, below the stock’s reported $133.44 price.
• Imperial Oil reported a quarterly earnings beat, posting $4.52 EPS versus the $2.99 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 43% year over year to $11.31 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.87 per share, equivalent to $3.48 annually and a 2.6% yield; institutional investors own 20.74% of the stock.

Shares of Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO - Get Free Report) TSE: IMO have been given a consensus recommendation of "Strong Sell" by the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.00.

IMO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Desjardins upgraded Imperial Oil to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Imperial Capital reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Imperial Oil in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating on shares of Imperial Oil in a research report on Friday, July 17th. TD Securities restated a "sell" rating on shares of Imperial Oil in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Imperial Oil from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th.

Imperial Oil Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN IMO opened at $133.44 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $125.75 and a 200-day moving average of $125.02. Imperial Oil has a 52-week low of $83.27 and a 52-week high of $139.44.

Imperial Oil (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO - Get Free Report) TSE: IMO last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The energy company reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $1.53. Imperial Oil had a return on equity of 22.28% and a net margin of 8.03%.The firm had revenue of $11.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 43.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Imperial Oil will post 11.19 EPS for the current year.

Imperial Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Imperial Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.24%.

Institutional Trading of Imperial Oil

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Imperial Oil by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 293 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Imperial Oil in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Imperial Oil by 737.7% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 511 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Imperial Oil by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 531 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Imperial Oil in the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 20.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Imperial Oil Company Profile

Imperial Oil NYSEAMERICAN: IMO is a Canadian integrated energy company involved in the exploration, production, refining and marketing of petroleum and petrochemical products. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Imperial has operated in Canada for well over a century and is one of the country's long-standing energy firms. The company is majority-owned by Exxon Mobil Corporation, which provides strategic and technical links to global upstream and downstream capabilities.

Imperial's operations span upstream activities—exploration and production of crude oil, natural gas and oil-sands resources—and downstream operations including refining, manufacturing of fuels and lubricants, petrochemical products, and retail distribution.

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