Exxon Mobil Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:XOM)

Key Points

• Exxon Mobil experienced a significant rise in options trading, with 88,162 call options purchased, showing a 26% increase from the average volume.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $1.64, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.47, but showed a year-over-year revenue decline of 12.4%.
• Exxon Mobil recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.99, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.4% and a dividend payout ratio of 56.25%.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders bought 88,162 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 26% compared to the average volume of 70,225 call options.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,158 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $238,351.10. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 13,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,527,413.05. The trade was a 13.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Axis Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,056 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 32,031 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,453,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,640 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 4,607 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Cascade Investment Group Inc. grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,419 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

XOM stock traded up $2.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $118.20. The stock had a trading volume of 7,709,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,589,738. The stock has a market cap of $503.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.46. Exxon Mobil has a 52-week low of $97.80 and a 52-week high of $126.34.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $81.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.07 billion. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 9.17%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Exxon Mobil from $124.00 to $123.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Melius Research began coverage on Exxon Mobil in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $134.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $120.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.00.

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.

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