ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors reduced its ExxonMobil stake by 4% in the second quarter, selling 291,092 shares and retaining 6.9 million shares worth approximately $943.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 61.8% of XOM.
• ExxonMobil reported quarterly EPS of $3.52, slightly below the $3.56 consensus, while revenue of $114.53 billion exceeded expectations. The company declared a $1.03 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.6% annual yield.
• Analysts maintain a broadly cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $167.45. Near-term performance could benefit from higher oil prices and production growth, but falling crude prices remain a key risk to earnings and cash flow.

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,897,907 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 291,092 shares during the quarter. ExxonMobil makes up about 0.9% of HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.17% of ExxonMobil worth $943,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 14,136.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 696,207,635 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $95,185,508,000 after acquiring an additional 691,317,352 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in ExxonMobil by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 75,152,366 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $9,043,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457,560 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in ExxonMobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,625,063,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in ExxonMobil by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,605,353 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,608,488,000 after purchasing an additional 531,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in ExxonMobil by 1.0% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,026,019 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,963,934,000 after purchasing an additional 445,283 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil prices and tighter refining capacity could support near-term earnings. Growth from Guyana and the Permian Basin strengthens ExxonMobil’s production outlook. Can ExxonMobil Benefit From the Current Energy Market Tightness?
• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil’s dividend remains a key attraction. The company appears positioned for a 44th consecutive annual payout increase, while second-quarter free cash flow exceeded dividend payments by nearly $13 billion. Management has also indicated that free cash flow could potentially double by 2030. 2 Energy Dividend Stocks With Growing Payouts, Led by ExxonMobil
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investment commentary continues to identify XOM as an attractive value and high-yield income stock, which may support demand from long-term and dividend-focused investors. 2 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Worth Buying Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: The bullish outlook depends heavily on sustained oil prices and refining tightness. ExxonMobil’s latest reported quarter included earnings per share below consensus, although revenue exceeded expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: ExxonMobil was reportedly excluded from a White House meeting with major oil executives focused on gasoline prices, refinery capacity and retail fuel costs. The exclusion was linked to prior political friction over potential investments in Venezuela, creating concerns about regulatory access and political relations. ExxonMobil Was Excluded From a White House Oil Meeting
• Negative Sentiment: A sharp decline in crude prices remains the primary risk to ExxonMobil’s cash flow, earnings and dividend coverage despite its current financial strength. Exxon’s Dividend Looks Safe Today—but What If Oil Prices Tumble?

ExxonMobil Stock Up 0.0%

XOM stock opened at $159.53 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $661.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $152.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.28. 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 12 month low of $108.35 and a 12 month high of $176.41.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). ExxonMobil had a net margin of 8.88% and a return on equity of 13.14%. The business had revenue of $114.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. ExxonMobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on XOM. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of ExxonMobil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of ExxonMobil from $168.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target on shares of ExxonMobil in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.45.

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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