CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Lowers Stock Position in Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

Key Points

• CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. trimmed its stake in Exxon Mobil by 62.3%, selling 7,280 shares in Q3 and leaving it with 4,400 shares valued at about $496,000.
• Several large institutions moved in the opposite direction, with Norges Bank opening a roughly $6.16 billion position and other managers (First Trust, Cerity, Laurel Wealth, Franklin Resources) materially increasing holdings; institutional investors now own about 61.8% of XOM.
• Analysts show a mixed but cautious view—Exxon has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a $148.35 average price target amid recent upgrades, while the company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.71 vs. $1.63) and pays a $1.03 quarterly dividend (≈2.6% yield).

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 62.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,400 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 7,280 shares during the quarter. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.'s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the second quarter worth about $6,163,719,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 150.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,602,601 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $819,560,000 after acquiring an additional 4,563,707 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 200.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,014,446 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $217,162,000 after acquiring an additional 4,015,099 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 10,809.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,095,106 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $333,652,000 after acquiring an additional 3,066,736 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 38,728,643 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,366,655,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660,910 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday, January 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $148.35.

Key Exxon Mobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Shift in investor narrative — coverage argues XOM’s outlook is improving as analysts and investors bake in higher oil-price assumptions and re-rate Exxon’s valuation, supporting momentum in the shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — several firms (including Barclays and Mizuho) have raised price targets, which boosts buy-side conviction and helps push XOM toward 52-week highs. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Project acceleration in Guyana — Exxon says a new floating production facility is nearly complete and will speed project startups, implying earlier cash flow from high-margin barrels. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet strength highlighted — analysts note Exxon’s low leverage and healthy cash generation make it resilient to commodity swings and able to capitalize on higher prices. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector tailwind — energy stocks broadly are rising today, so part of XOM’s move is market-driven rather than purely company-specific. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Exploration step in Greece — a JV including ExxonMobil is moving to next-phase exploration off Greece; potential upside is long‑dated and high risk, so it’s a watch item rather than immediate upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — a vice president sold ~1,080 shares; while small, insider selling can create short-term sentiment noise for some investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regional security risk — a nearby refinery (SAMREF) tied to regional partners was reportedly targeted in an aerial attack (minimal impact reported), underscoring geopolitical tail‑risks that can push oil volatility and create episodic market swings. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total transaction of $698,750.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 23,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,295,864. This represents a 17.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock valued at $1,687,854 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 0.4%

XOM stock opened at $158.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $144.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $659.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.35. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 12 month low of $97.80 and a 12 month high of $160.45.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The business had revenue of $80.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is presently 61.58%.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil 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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