McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

Key Points

• McElhenny Sheffield trimmed its Exxon stake by 64.2%, selling 15,261 shares in Q4 and retaining 8,509 shares worth $1.024M (0.2% of the fund and its 21st largest position).
• Exxon beat Q4 estimates and pays a solid dividend: the company reported $1.71 EPS versus $1.63 expected and $80.04B revenue, and recently paid a $1.03 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.12, ~2.7% yield).
• Market sentiment is mixed: several brokers raised price targets and the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (avg target $159.20), but oil-price weakness, a Wolfe Research cut and insider selling have pressured the stock.

McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 64.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,509 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 15,261 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil accounts for 0.2% of McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC's holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $1,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the third quarter worth $40,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1,595.2% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 95.8% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 370 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 307.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 407 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $152.43 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 1-year low of $98.79 and a 1-year high of $176.41. 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 stock has a market cap of $635.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $154.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.38.

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

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.58%.

Exxon Mobil News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms raised targets/ratings this week (Jefferies to $184, RBC to $180, Wells Fargo to $185, JPMorgan raised to $170) — these upgrades signal continued analyst conviction in XOM’s upside and longer‑term cash generation potential. Jefferies target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan issued a positive forecast and Erste Group lifted earnings estimates, supporting near‑to‑medium term earnings outlook. JPMorgan forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Macro demand tailwind: articles highlight rising LNG demand and geopolitically driven export opportunities that could boost Exxon’s upstream and LNG-related cash flows. This is a structural positive if exports and pricing remain strong. LNG demand surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: XOM is set to report Q1 results soon with Wall Street expecting single‑digit EPS growth — a modest beat could calm sellers, but expectations aren’t lofty enough to drive a large rally on their own. Earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts note attractive long‑term free cash flow despite near‑term earnings headwinds (TD Cowen maintaining a Buy). That supports dividend stability and buyback optionality, making XOM a defensive energy pick for income investors. TD Cowen note
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and volatility stories: elevated option activity and unusual vol indicate traders are positioning for big moves around catalysts (earnings, oil swings). This raises short‑term risk/reward for active traders. Options volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research cut its price target to $153 and an analyst downgrade triggered intraday selling; this contributed to downward pressure on the stock. Wolfe Research cut
• Negative Sentiment: Oil prices plunged (~16%) after reports of an Iran ceasefire / suspension of hostilities, which materially reduced the geopolitical risk premium — that sharp crude decline is the primary near‑term reason energy names, including XOM, fell. Oil price crash
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation and calmer geopolitics led intraday reversals — rallies tied to a high‑risk energy shock retraced as markets priced in lower risk, pressuring XOM despite favorable fundamentals. Intraday reversal

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total value of $167,940.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 17,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,662,782. This trade represents a 5.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Exxon Mobil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of Exxon Mobil from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $125.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $159.20.

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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