Becker Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,068 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 4,546 shares during the period. Becker Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $10,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 93,299,598 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $10,023,875,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104,617 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $6,936,737,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 46,017,358 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,950,087,000 after purchasing an additional 2,998,892 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $4,731,263,000 after purchasing an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 35,662,602 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,836,226,000 after purchasing an additional 4,140,046 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of XOM stock traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $105.84. The company had a trading volume of 18,594,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,805,621. The company's fifty day moving average is $109.44 and its 200 day moving average is $111.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Exxon Mobil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $97.80 and a fifty-two week high of $126.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $457.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.61.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.48 EPS. Research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XOM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $131.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. HSBC lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.50.

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.