ProShare Advisors LLC Decreases Position in ExxonMobil Corporation $XOM

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its ExxonMobil stake by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 85,968 shares and leaving it with 2,235,473 shares valued at about $269 million.
• ExxonMobil’s stock is being supported by strong fundamentals, including higher crude prices, solid first-quarter results, and a Texas jury decision that cleared the company of investor fraud claims.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on XOM, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $163.95, even after some firms adjusted their targets.

ProShare Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,235,473 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 85,968 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of ExxonMobil worth $269,017,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its position in ExxonMobil by 15.3% during the first quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of ExxonMobil in the first quarter worth approximately $305,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 1.9% in the second 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 period. United Bank raised its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 2.8% in the second 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 period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of ExxonMobil by 17.4% in the second 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 period. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting ExxonMobil

Here are the key news stories impacting ExxonMobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ExxonMobil is benefiting from stronger crude prices, which improve upstream profitability and boost investor sentiment toward the stock. ExxonMobil Stock Analysis: Buy or Sell?
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s strong first-quarter results and analyst attention are keeping momentum in the shares, suggesting the latest move is supported by earnings strength rather than only short-term trading. Exxon Mobil (XOM) Valuation Check As Legal Win And Strong Q1 Meet Rising Crude Prices
• Positive Sentiment: A Texas jury clearing ExxonMobil of investor fraud claims removes a major legal overhang and may improve the market’s view of risk around the stock. Exxon Mobil (XOM) Valuation Check As Legal Win And Strong Q1 Meet Rising Crude Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: ExxonMobil is also drawing increased investor and analyst attention, but these reports do not add new business developments by themselves. Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy adviser opposition to Exxon’s move to Texas could create governance controversy and keep some pressure on the stock if the issue escalates. Opinion | The Proxy Advisers Strike Back

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XOM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on ExxonMobil from $195.00 to $182.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on ExxonMobil from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays increased their price target on ExxonMobil from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on ExxonMobil from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on ExxonMobil from $172.00 to $171.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ExxonMobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $339,313.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 18,204 shares in the company, valued at $2,872,955.28. This trade represents a 10.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

ExxonMobil Trading Up 1.4%

XOM opened at $160.20 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $155.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.92. The company has a market capitalization of $664.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.01, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.19. ExxonMobil Corporation has a 52 week low of $101.18 and a 52 week high of $176.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $83.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.13 billion. ExxonMobil had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 7.57%.ExxonMobil's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. Analysts forecast that ExxonMobil Corporation will post 11.5 earnings per share for the current year.

ExxonMobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. ExxonMobil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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