Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading 1.8% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Piper Sandler raised its price target on Exxon from $145 to $186 and moved to an overweight rating, pushing XOM about 1.8% higher to roughly $156 with above‑average volume.
• Despite the upgrade, the consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $146 amid mixed analyst views; Exxon recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, pays a $1.03 quarterly dividend, and could benefit from higher oil prices and geopolitical supply risks.

Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) shot up 1.8% during trading on Friday after Piper Sandler raised their price target on the stock from $145.00 to $186.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Exxon Mobil traded as high as $156.89 and last traded at $156.2850. 22,364,220 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 21,398,350 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.53.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of Exxon Mobil from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $125.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $146.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $339,313.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 18,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,872,955.28. The trade was a 10.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 16,380 shares of company stock worth $2,227,734 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Exxon Mobil News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical shock: oil prices have jumped on the Iran conflict, lifting market expectations for higher revenue and margins at integrated oil majors like Exxon. Oil Price Back to the Glory Days: Will XOM, EOG & COP Gain?
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-sector rally: coverage notes Exxon and peers rising this week as investors price in a protracted supply disruption, which benefits upstream and refining margins. Why Exxon and Energy Stocks Finally Started to Rise This Week as the Iran War Escalated
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/target lift: Piper Sandler raised XOM’s price target to $186 and moved to overweight — a notable bullish signal from a major shop that can attract fund buying. Piper Sandler raises XOM price target
• Positive Sentiment: Macro support: the EIA and other outlets project higher 2026 oil averages and WTI/Brent levels above recent ranges, underpinning earnings upside from Exxon’s Permian and Guyana production. EIA Projects Higher Oil Price in 2026: What Lies Ahead for ExxonMobil?
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals/strategy: Exxon reiterated multi-year growth targets (13% EPS CAGR to 2030 at investor events) and is expanding carbon capture capacity (new Louisiana project, ~3.2 MTA across sites), which supports both near-term cash flow and longer-term positioning. Here's How XOM is Actively Involved in Improving Air Quality Via CCS
• Neutral Sentiment: S&P attention/outlook shift: coverage highlights Exxon drawing attention in index/rebalancing conversations after an outlook shift — can boost flows but impact is timing-dependent. Exxon Mobil Draws S&P 500 Attention After Outlook Shift
• Negative Sentiment: Policy offset risk: President Trump signaled tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower fuel costs — a move that could blunt crude’s rally and reduce upside for Exxon if implemented at scale. Iran war: Trump says he'll tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cut energy costs
• Negative Sentiment: Market volatility/consumer pushback: broader equity market drops and commentary that high oil prices won’t immediately trigger more drilling inject uncertainty into capital allocation and cyclical demand trends. Markets are reeling from high oil prices. But that doesn't mean more drilling.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 456.1% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 228 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.28. The company has a market capitalization of $651.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.35.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The business had revenue of $80.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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