ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) Short Interest Down 19.2% in April

Key Points

• Short interest fell 19.2% in April, declining to 42,991,642 shares as of April 15 (about 1.0% of shares short) with a days‑to‑cover ratio of 1.8 days.
• Bullish catalysts include analyst price‑target upgrades (e.g., JPMorgan to $170, RBC to $180), a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $161.55 target, and ongoing multi‑billion dollar buybacks that reduce float and support EPS.
• Near‑term risks — the Strait of Hormuz conflict may pressure volumes and refining margins, and a New Mexico lawsuit over orphaned‑well liabilities could raise remediation costs; Exxon’s Q1 print and CEO call (early May 1) will likely drive volatility.

ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 42,991,642 shares, a decline of 19.2% from the March 31st total of 53,204,836 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 23,596,194 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Key ExxonMobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts materially, boosting near‑term earnings expectations and supporting valuation upside for XOM. Erste Group raises EPS estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and heavy share buybacks remain bullish catalysts — Scotiabank recently raised its price target and Exxon’s multi‑billion buyback program continues to reduce float and support EPS. Analyst revision and buybacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 reporting logistics: Exxon will release its Q1 press release early May 1 with a CEO call — the print and management commentary on volumes, price realization and project progress will drive intraday moves. Earnings timing and preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Street estimates: Consensus previews (Zacks) expect Q1 EPS near $1.07 on roughly $81.5B revenue — but upstream price/volume swings could push results either way, so the beat/miss will matter more than the headline. Zacks Q1 preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Project activity: Subsea 7 announced a substantial EPCI award tied to ExxonMobil activity offshore Angola — indicates ongoing upstream investment but is more a contractor win than an immediate earnings boost for Exxon. Subsea 7 contract
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: Analysts warn that the Strait of Hormuz conflict could have trimmed Q1 volumes/pricing and may weigh on revenue and refining margins — heightened volatility increases the chance of a guidance reset. Hormuz conflict impact
• Negative Sentiment: Lawsuit risk: A new New Mexico lawsuit alleges Exxon understated orphaned‑well remediation liabilities for hundreds of wells — an adverse ruling or increased reserve requirements could raise future costs and ESG/legal uncertainty. Orphaned well lawsuit

Insider Buying and Selling at ExxonMobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total transaction of $167,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 17,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,662,782. This trade represents a 5.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock valued at $1,687,854. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of ExxonMobil

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Stiles Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of ExxonMobil by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 19,501 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,309,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in ExxonMobil by 15.8% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 2,071 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. raised its position in ExxonMobil by 13.3% in the first quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 10,366 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Financial Freedom LLC raised its position in ExxonMobil by 1.4% in the first quarter. Financial Freedom LLC now owns 7,782 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ExxonMobil during the 1st quarter worth $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital set a $123.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $140.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wolfe Research cut ExxonMobil from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ExxonMobil presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $161.55.

ExxonMobil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM traded down $0.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $154.53. 22,800,470 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,013,698. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.93. ExxonMobil has a 52-week low of $101.18 and a 52-week high of $176.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $642.29 billion, a PE ratio of 23.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The firm had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that ExxonMobil will post 11.18 earnings per share for the current year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. ExxonMobil's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

ExxonMobil Company Profile

ExxonMobil 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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