Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 15,298 Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)

Key Points

• Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC has reduced its holdings in Exxon Mobil Corporation by 6.2%, selling 15,298 shares, and now owns 231,151 shares valued at approximately $27.5 million.
• Exxon Mobil's stock currently holds an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a price target of $125.42 and recent research notes indicating varied ratings from firms such as Scotiabank and Morgan Stanley.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.57% and indicating a dividend payout ratio of 52.52%.

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC cut its position in Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 6.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 231,151 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 15,298 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil accounts for about 1.9% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC's holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $27,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Axis Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.9% in the first quarter. Axis Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,966 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $591,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. WPWealth LLP raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. WPWealth LLP now owns 9,201 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $990,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.0% in the first quarter. Ascent Capital Management LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $584,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. DDD Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.4% during the first quarter. DDD Partners LLC now owns 6,811 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. Clarity Asset Management Inc. now owns 437 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XOM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $131.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $127.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.42.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of XOM stock opened at $110.87 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $108.70 and a 200-day moving average of $109.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 12-month low of $97.80 and a 12-month high of $126.34. The company has a market capitalization of $477.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.50.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.03. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The company had revenue of $83.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. 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.

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