Monte Financial Group LLC Boosts Position in Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

Key Points

• Monte Financial Group increased its Exxon stake by 175.4% in Q4, buying 8,757 shares to hold 13,751 shares valued at about $1.655 million.
• Multiple brokers raised targets (Jefferies to $184, Wells Fargo to $185, JPMorgan to $170) and MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $159.20 target, with rising LNG demand cited as a structural tailwind for Exxon’s cash flows.
• Near‑term volatility persists after oil prices plunged roughly 16% following reports of an Iran ceasefire—pressuring energy names—and a recent insider sale (VP sold 1,080 shares) adds to short‑term uncertainty despite Exxon’s dividend yield (~2.7%).

Monte Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 175.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,751 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 8,757 shares during the quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC's holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $1,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil during the 1st quarter worth approximately $305,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,237 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,211,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. United Bank raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 21,821 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,352,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 36,710 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,957,000 after buying an additional 5,443 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 1,080 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.50, for a total value of $167,940.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 17,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,662,782. This trade represents a 5.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,460 shares of company stock valued at $1,687,854. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on XOM. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $175.00 to $172.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $159.20.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Exxon Mobil stock opened at $152.43 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $154.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.50. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 1 year low of $98.79 and a 1 year high of $176.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $633.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $80.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

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

Exxon Mobil 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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