Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 1% After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Shares rose about 1% after Mizuho raised its price target to $162 (from $140) while maintaining a neutral rating, with the stock trading as high as $160.45.
• Analyst coverage is mixed but constructive—multiple firms (Barclays, UBS, BofA, Jefferies) raised targets or reiterated buys, yet MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with an average target of $148.35 (9 Buys, 8 Holds, 1 Sell).
• Exxon beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.71 vs. $1.63) and paid a $1.03 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.12, ~2.6% yield), although insider selling was disclosed (VP Darrin Talley sold 5,000 shares on Feb. 2), a potential short-term negative signal.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 1% during trading on Tuesday after Mizuho raised their price target on the stock from $140.00 to $162.00. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Exxon Mobil traded as high as $160.45 and last traded at $158.8580. Approximately 21,505,521 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 0% from the average daily volume of 21,443,465 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.23.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $171.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Exxon Mobil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $148.35.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total value of $698,750.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 23,584 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,295,864. The trade was a 17.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold a total of 14,460 shares of company stock worth $2,039,424 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Exxon Mobil

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $163 and kept an Overweight/buy stance, supporting upside and investor demand for XOM. Barclays upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lifted its target to $162 (neutral rating), signaling higher analyst valuation and reinforcing near-term upside expectations. Mizuho target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Additional analyst coverage (Barclays reiterated a buy in other notices) and broker commentary have pushed headlines that XOM is approaching 52-week highs after dual upgrades. Barclays sticks to buy
• Positive Sentiment: Surging oil prices — Brent above $103 and WTI topping $100 — driven by Strait of Hormuz/geo-political concerns and doubts about coalition protections are a clear tailwind for Exxon’s refining/upstream earnings. Oil jumps on Hormuz doubts
• Positive Sentiment: Sector flow: energy stocks are rallying broadly as oil spikes, with multiple news pieces noting energy as a market leader—this supports relative performance for XOM. Sector update
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: U.S. equity futures are positive even as oil trades above $100 — positive for XOM but reflects broader risk-on dynamics that could change with headlines. S&P drivers despite oil
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary and strategy pieces highlight Exxon as a high-dividend, defensive energy pick amid volatility — supportive longer-term but not an immediate catalyst. Dividend stock roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor education/video coverage suggests using high-dividend names like XOM to play oil volatility — informative but not a direct price driver. YouTube: volatility in portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares (filed with the SEC), which can be read as a minor near-term negative signal to some investors. Insider sale SEC filing

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 2.6% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 215,892 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $24,342,000 after acquiring an additional 5,573 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.3% in the third quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 306,658 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $34,576,000 after purchasing an additional 9,831 shares in the last quarter. Capital Counsel LLC NY boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.9% during the second quarter. Capital Counsel LLC NY now owns 49,687 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,356,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 78.3% during the third quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 13,180 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,486,000 after buying an additional 5,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 5.6% in the third quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 166,547 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $18,778,000 after buying an additional 8,853 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $142.63 and a 200 day moving average of $125.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $661.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.Exxon Mobil's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is 61.58%.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation NYSE: XOM is an integrated oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals. Its operations span the full energy value chain, including upstream exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas; midstream transportation and storage; and downstream refining, product distribution and retail. The company also produces a broad range of chemical products for industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under well-known brands such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, and its Mobil 1 motor oil is a prominent consumer product.

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