19,459 ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its ExxonMobil stake by 5.5%, buying 19,459 shares in the third quarter to reach 370,238 shares valued at about $60.5 million.
• Analyst views are mixed: ExxonMobil has a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $170.38, though some firms raised targets and maintained Buy ratings.
• ExxonMobil beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, and raised its quarterly dividend from $1.03 to $1.07 per share.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 370,238 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,459 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $60,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XOM. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 28,364,314 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,812,790,000 after buying an additional 1,540,902 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in ExxonMobil by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 24,511,156 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,158,563,000 after buying an additional 1,192,386 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its stake in ExxonMobil by 153.3% in the second quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,307,497,000 after buying an additional 10,214,420 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in ExxonMobil by 5.9% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,376,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,099,783,000 after buying an additional 693,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its stake in ExxonMobil by 1.8% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 9,664,021 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,321,265,000 after buying an additional 166,268 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on XOM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $199.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $170.38.

ExxonMobil News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup and TD Cowen analysts reportedly see potential for further share-price appreciation, providing a bullish counterweight to the downgrade. Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for ExxonMobil TD Cowen Analyst Expects ExxonMobil Stock to Rise
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil’s Uaru project is expected to unlock additional supply capacity in Guyana, supporting the company’s long-term production outlook in a growing oil-producing market. IMF Projects Strong Guyana Growth as Uaru Adds Supply Capacity
• Positive Sentiment: A fund manager with about $5.87 billion under management is described as betting big on ExxonMobil, which may reinforce confidence among investors watching institutional positioning. A $5.9 Billion Fund Is Betting Big on ExxonMobil
• Neutral Sentiment: ExxonMobil and Shell are reportedly exploring a sale of their Infineum joint venture, potentially a multi-billion-dollar transaction. A sale could reshape the portfolio, but its impact depends on the terms and use of proceeds. ExxonMobil and Shell Reportedly Explore Infineum Sale
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank’s downgrade was followed by reports of declines in XOM shares, making the rating change a near-term negative catalyst. The coverage does not provide the specific rationale or revised price target. ExxonMobil Gets a Downgrade from DZ Bank

ExxonMobil Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE XOM opened at $165.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $676.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.16. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 1 year low of $114.19 and a 1 year high of $188.50. The business's 50-day moving average is $168.83 and its 200 day moving average is $155.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.12 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $110.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $104.89 billion. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 10.24%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 13.34 earnings per share for the current year.

ExxonMobil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This is a positive change from ExxonMobil's previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. ExxonMobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.99%.

ExxonMobil Company Profile

ExxonMobil is an integrated energy and chemical company with operations spanning the oil and natural gas value chain. Its businesses explore for and produce crude oil and natural gas, refine and market fuels, and manufacture chemicals and other specialty products.

The company's products include gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricants, petrochemical feedstocks and materials used in a wide range of consumer and industrial applications. ExxonMobil also pursues lower-emission solutions, including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and lower-emission fuels.

ExxonMobil serves customers and operates in markets around the world.

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