BTS Asset Management Inc. Takes $291,000 Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

BTS Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,450 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $291,000. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 0.3% of BTS Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 570,158 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $61,332,000 after buying an additional 110,772 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Legacy Trust increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Trust now owns 8,861 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Renasant Bank raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 10,369 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV now owns 14,244 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,532,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on XOM. Barclays reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $129.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.50.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

Shares of XOM stock traded up $2.33 on Friday, hitting $112.06. 28,512,903 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,687,104. Exxon Mobil Co. has a one year low of $97.80 and a one year high of $126.34. The firm's 50 day moving average is $105.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.95 billion, a PE ratio of 14.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $83.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.11 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The company's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.06 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is 52.52%.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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.