70,364 ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM Shares Purchased by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Sterling Capital Management increased its ExxonMobil stake by 192.2% in the third quarter, acquiring 70,364 additional shares for a total of 106,969 shares valued at approximately $17.4 million.
• Institutional investors own 61.8% of ExxonMobil, with several major funds—including Dimensional Fund Advisors, Amundi and GQG Partners—also raising their positions.
• ExxonMobil’s shares recently traded near a one-year high, while the company maintains a $1.03 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.2% yield; analysts’ consensus rating remains Moderate Buy.

Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 192.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,969 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 70,364 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $17,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in ExxonMobil by 5.7% in the first 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 purchasing an additional 1,540,902 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in ExxonMobil by 5.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 24,511,156 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,158,563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192,386 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC grew its holdings in ExxonMobil by 153.3% during the second quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 16,877,523 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,307,497,000 after purchasing an additional 10,214,420 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in ExxonMobil by 5.9% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,376,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,099,783,000 after purchasing an additional 693,800 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service increased its position 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Key ExxonMobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming earnings may provide support: Wall Street expects ExxonMobil to report year-over-year earnings growth next week, and Zacks says the company has factors that could support a potential earnings beat. Exxon Mobil Holdings Reports Next Week
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimates moved higher: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $11.81 from $11.12, signaling improving expectations for ExxonMobil’s future earnings power. ExxonMobil analyst estimate report
• Positive Sentiment: Oil prices and upstream assets remain favorable: ExxonMobil’s low-cost Permian and Guyana operations are viewed as supporting production growth toward its 2030 ambitions. Higher crude prices, including Brent above $100 per barrel after Middle East attacks, have helped drive the stock’s recent gains. ExxonMobil long-term upstream production
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and balance-sheet appeal: ExxonMobil is highlighted among mega-cap companies with a long record of raising payouts through different economic and interest-rate environments. Analysts also cite its stronger balance sheet relative to BP, while momentum-focused coverage points to continued investor interest. Dividend stocks with long payout records
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and relative-performance debate: ExxonMobil has substantially outperformed this year and compares favorably with BP on gains and financial strength, but analysts give Chevron an edge for further upside based on free cash flow, cost savings and projected 2026 earnings growth. Chevron versus ExxonMobil
• Negative Sentiment: Illinois refinery disruption: An issue at ExxonMobil’s Joliet refinery is contributing to higher gasoline prices in the Chicago area and could pressure near-term refinery operations, although the wider market impact remains uncertain. Midwest pump prices surge after Illinois refinery disruption

ExxonMobil Stock Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $183.23 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $165.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.85. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 1 year low of $112.51 and a 1 year high of $183.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $759.46 billion, a PE ratio of 23.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.21.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The oil and gas company reported $3.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.56 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $114.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.94 billion. ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 13.14%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. Analysts predict that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 13.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. ExxonMobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America lowered ExxonMobil from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $154.00 to $158.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $180.00 price target (up from $160.00) on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $199.00 price objective on shares of ExxonMobil in a report on Monday, October 19th. Zacks Research upgraded ExxonMobil from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded ExxonMobil from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $167.70.

About ExxonMobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil NYSE: XOM, is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. Its operations span the energy value chain, from resource development and refining to the marketing and distribution of fuels and other energy products.

Through its Energy Products segment, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, and other petroleum-based products. Its Chemical Products business produces petrochemicals, including commodity and performance products used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials, and consumer goods.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding XOM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.