LM Advisors LLC Sells 7,194 Shares of ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

Key Points

• LM Advisors LLC cut its ExxonMobil stake by 87.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,194 shares and leaving it with 990 shares valued at about $119,000.
• Institutional interest in ExxonMobil remains significant, with several other hedge funds increasing positions and institutions owning 61.8% of the stock overall.
• Analysts are mixed on XOM: the stock has an average Hold rating with a consensus target price of $165.55, while recent earnings beat expectations and ExxonMobil continues paying a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share.

LM Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 87.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 990 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 7,194 shares during the quarter. LM Advisors LLC's holdings in ExxonMobil were worth $119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in XOM. Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in ExxonMobil by 6.6% during 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 purchasing an additional 14,233 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in 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 during the period. Roberts Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in ExxonMobil during the third quarter worth $1,240,000. Midland Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in ExxonMobil by 95.0% during the third quarter. Midland Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 44,675 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $5,037,000 after purchasing an additional 21,766 shares during the period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its position in ExxonMobil by 9.0% during the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 410,046 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $46,233,000 after purchasing an additional 33,950 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of ExxonMobil from $135.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on ExxonMobil from $172.00 to $171.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on ExxonMobil from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group lifted their target price on ExxonMobil from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of ExxonMobil in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $165.55.

ExxonMobil News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for ExxonMobil, signaling confidence in the company’s profit outlook and providing a supportive fundamental backdrop for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that ExxonMobil is exploring potential acquisition targets, including Australia’s Woodside Energy Group, suggest management may be looking to expand its natural gas footprint and pursue growth through M&A. Article: Exxon Mobil evaluates potential buyout of Australia Woodside Energy, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary describing ExxonMobil as a “constructive” value idea, along with articles highlighting its low debt and ability to handle business uncertainty, points to continued appeal as a defensive energy name.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy stocks were higher late Friday, which likely lifted ExxonMobil along with the sector. Article: Sector Update: Energy Stocks Higher Late Afternoon
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets also reported that ExxonMobil’s head of global trading is set to retire, but the move looks more like a routine leadership change than a major business disruption. Article: Exxon Mobil set to place Alex Volkov as head of global trading, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noting ExxonMobil’s strong one-year share gains may reinforce the stock’s valuation debate, but they are unlikely to be the main driver of near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon’s planned work at its Beaumont, Texas complex could create temporary operational noise, though the notice did not suggest a major outage or earnings issue. Article: Exxon plans work at Beaumont, Texas complex, says online notice

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total value of $167,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 17,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,662,782. The trade was a 5.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

ExxonMobil Stock Up 0.1%

XOM opened at $146.80 on Friday. ExxonMobil Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $105.53 and a fifty-two week high of $176.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $608.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $152.09 and a 200-day moving average of $142.36.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.18. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 7.57%.The company had revenue of $83.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.76 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.8 EPS for the current year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. ExxonMobil's payout ratio is 69.48%.

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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