Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 3.5% Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Exxon shares jumped about 3.5% intraday after Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $134 to $172 and gave an overweight rating, with volume up roughly 36% to ~30.2 million shares.
• Several analysts lifted targets (e.g., Bernstein to $195, UBS/HSBC/Citi/TD Cowen higher), signaling upside, but MarketBeat's consensus remains a Hold with a $151 target and a 9 Buy / 9 Hold / 1 Sell split.
• Fundamentals showed strength: Exxon beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.71 vs. $1.63), has a market cap of about $713 billion, and pays a $1.03 quarterly dividend (≈2.4% yield), supporting income-focused investors.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) shot up 3.5% during mid-day trading on Friday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $134.00 to $172.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Exxon Mobil traded as high as $171.23 and last traded at $171.1690. 30,243,442 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 36% from the average session volume of 22,217,891 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.43.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $118.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total transaction of $167,940.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 17,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,662,782. This represents a 5.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 11,460 shares of company stock valued at $1,687,854 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Exxon Mobil

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley bumped its price target to $172 and set an "overweight" rating, adding near-term analyst support for the share price. Morgan Stanley raises XOM price target to $172 (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $195 and reiterated an Outperform—another buy-side upgrade reinforcing upside expectations. Bernstein raises Exxon Mobil price target (Yahoo Finance)
• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil (prices above ~$95) from Middle East supply concerns is a direct tailwind for Exxon’s revenues and cash flow; several write-ups frame elevated oil as supporting Exxon’s earnings and dividend profile. Oil Over $95: Tailwind or Trap (Zacks) The Oil Shock Is Here to Stay (Yahoo Finance)
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates for Exxon (FY26 to ~$7.07, FY27 to ~$8.34), implying stronger forward earnings than prior consensus and supporting valuation upgrades. Erste Group raises Exxon EPS estimates (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Operational wins—like the fully automated offshore well project in Guyana (Halliburton + Exxon collaboration)—highlight efficiency gains and production upside in advantaged basins. First fully automated offshore well in Guyana (Yahoo Finance)
• Neutral Sentiment: Exxon is reportedly weighing an exit from New Zealand to refocus on higher-return assets—strategic pruning could improve returns but may trim diversification. Exxon weighs New Zealand exit (Yahoo Finance)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note Exxon scores well on value/style metrics (Zacks) and is a go-to energy name for investors seeking income and value exposure. XOM as a top-ranked value stock (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary flags valuation risk: Exxon’s market value has eclipsed high-growth names (e.g., Nvidia) in headline comparisons, prompting questions about whether the rally fully prices in longer-term risks and capital returns. Exxon valued like Nvidia—valuation concerns (Barchart) Exxon tops Nvidia in valuation (Seeking Alpha)

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 456.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 3.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $713.22 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.35. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $148.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.58.

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

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm 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 2.4%. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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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