Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 2.2% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Exxon shares rose 2.2% to about $125.35 on heavy volume as investors priced in a Venezuela geopolitical move and U.S. signals that majors could invest to recover nationalized assets, boosting expectations for new upstream projects and recoverable reserves.
• Short-term uncertainty remains from reports the administration didn’t consult oil majors, flagged unusual options activity, and a newly filed class-action suit, any of which could increase volatility despite the bullish narrative.
• Analysts are mixed with a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" and a $129.81 target; Exxon has a $528.6B market cap, P/E of 18.2, and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 (about a 3.3% yield).

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) shares shot up 2.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $125.93 and last traded at $125.3540. 29,515,102 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 35% from the average session volume of 21,783,861 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.65.

Exxon Mobil News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical move in Venezuela is creating hopes for big investment and asset-recovery opportunities for U.S. oil majors; investors are pricing in potential work rebuilding Venezuela's oil sector and possible compensation for nationalized assets, which benefits Exxon’s long-term reserves and recoverable-value story. Venezuela chaos could lead to billions in investment opportunities
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: energy stocks including Exxon rallied on the Venezuela news and Trump administration comments urging U.S. firms to invest in Venezuela — this lift reflects expectations of new upstream projects and claims recovery that would materially expand Exxon’s addressable resources. Chevron, Exxon and SLB Stocks Are Surging
• Positive Sentiment: Policy signal that firms must reinvest to recover Venezuela claims: the White House/State Department outreach suggesting majors would need to put capital to work to claim compensation supports higher future capital spending and recovery wins for companies with past expropriations like Exxon. US pushes oil majors to invest big in Venezuela
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/consultation uncertainty — reports say the administration did not consult the majors before the Venezuela action and meetings are being planned; this creates short-term uncertainty about timing, access and legal frameworks despite the upside narrative. Trump administration has not consulted US oil majors
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/momentum narratives: analysts and outlets point to a breakout and positive share-price momentum after the geopolitical shock; this can amplify short-term inflows but may not reflect fundamentals. Exxon Mobil Jumps On Venezuela Shock
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity flagged by market-watchers — could reflect hedging or directional bets around the Venezuela story and earnings/cash-flow narratives; worth monitoring for short-term volatility. Exxon Mobil Target of Unusually Large Options Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/legacy risk: a new class-action filing (Portnoy Law Firm) alleges issues tied to a 2016 period — legal proceedings can be a distraction and carry potential costs, though this appears disconnected from the current Venezuela-driven move. Portnoy Law Firm Announces Class Action
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst update: Sanford C. Bernstein trimmed its price target slightly (to $137) while keeping an outperform rating — a modest downgrade that tempers upside expectations versus some of the bullish headlines. Bernstein lowers price target

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Exxon Mobil from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised Exxon Mobil from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.81.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 2.2%

The business's fifty day simple moving average is $117.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.56. The stock has a market cap of $528.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The business had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This is a positive change from Exxon Mobil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is currently 59.88%.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $351,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 28,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,349,758.96. The trade was a 9.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 1.6% during the third quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,647 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 5,794 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.8% during the second quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,056 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Sagace Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 2.7% in the third quarter. Sagace Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,445 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Edge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 32,031 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,453,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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