Advisors Capital Management LLC Trims Position in ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management trimmed its ExxonMobil stake by 17.9%, selling 17,832 shares and leaving 81,879 shares valued at about $9.85 million, while institutional investors now own roughly 61.8% of XOM.
• Analyst sentiment is bullish: several firms raised targets (MarketBeat average target $161.55; Scotiabank $163; Wells Fargo $185) and an oil-price rally is supporting upstream/refining margins and cash‑flow outlooks.
• Fundamentals and corporate actions: Exxon beat Q4 estimates with $1.71 EPS on $80.04B revenue, pays a $1.03 quarterly dividend (annual $4.12, yield 2.7%), and insiders have recently sold shares (VP sold 5,000; 11,460 sold in the past three months).

Advisors Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 81,879 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 17,832 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $9,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in ExxonMobil by 2.6% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 215,892 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $24,342,000 after buying an additional 5,573 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in ExxonMobil by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 231,488 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $27,857,000 after buying an additional 14,233 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 5.6% during the third quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 166,547 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $18,778,000 after purchasing an additional 8,853 shares in the last quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 78.3% during the third quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 13,180 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 5,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC grew its position in shares of ExxonMobil by 46.6% during the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 35,160 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,997,000 after purchasing an additional 11,177 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oil-price rally from Middle East disruptions is lifting integrated majors — higher crude and tighter physical flows are supporting refining margins and upstream realizations, which benefits Exxon’s cash flow and dividend outlook. Exxon and Chevron Stock Jump. BP Doubles Profit on ‘Exceptional’ Oil Trading.
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised FY2026–27 EPS forecasts and kept a Sector Outperform stance with a $163 target, boosting near‑term earnings expectations vs. prior estimates and signaling analyst confidence in Exxon’s cash generation. MarketBeat XOM coverage (Scotiabank updates)
• Positive Sentiment: Broad sector momentum and positive previews from industry coverage (TheStreet, Seeking Alpha) point to a strong Q1 backdrop for supermajors as oil prices recover — this supports upside for Exxon ahead of quarterly results. Exxon, Chevron, big oil send signals ahead of earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Debate over valuation after a 41% one‑year rally: some analysts/columnists suggest much of the recovery is priced in, creating a watchful stance for new entrants despite strong fundamentals. That can cap short‑term upside even while earnings improve. Is It Too Late To Consider Exxon Mobil (XOM) After A 41% One-Year Rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector technical pullback and rotation (XLE weakness) has reset some short‑term multiples — presents a tactical buying opportunity for some but keeps volatility higher. MarketBeat sector pullback/opportunity note
• Negative Sentiment: Local lawsuit alleges Exxon (and another operator) defrauded taxpayers in an orphan‑well scheme — potential legal/cleanup liabilities could draw regulatory/sentinel investor attention (likely not an immediate earnings shock, but reputational and long‑tail risk). Lawsuit claims Exxon Mobil, Empire Petroleum defrauded taxpayers in orphan well scheme

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total transaction of $698,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 23,584 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,295,864. This represents a 17.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on XOM. Bank of America increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $135.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $140.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Scotiabank increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $128.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane set a $165.00 target price on ExxonMobil and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on ExxonMobil from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.55.

ExxonMobil Stock Performance

NYSE:XOM opened at $150.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $154.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.65. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 12-month low of $101.18 and a 12-month high of $176.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $626.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced 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. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The company had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ExxonMobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. ExxonMobil's dividend payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

About ExxonMobil

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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