Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Imperial Oil Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:IMO - Get Free Report) TSE: IMO have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $106.33.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on IMO. Wolfe Research upgraded Imperial Oil from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Imperial Oil from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Imperial Oil from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Imperial Oil to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Imperial Oil in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd.

Imperial Oil Stock Performance

Imperial Oil stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Monday, hitting $69.07. The stock had a trading volume of 108,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 524,075. The stock's 50 day moving average is $67.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.77. Imperial Oil has a 1 year low of $58.76 and a 1 year high of $80.17. The stock has a market cap of $35.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Imperial Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.4972 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. This is a boost from Imperial Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. Imperial Oil's payout ratio is currently 25.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Imperial Oil

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Imperial Oil by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,648 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Imperial Oil by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,916 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Group One Trading LLC raised its position in shares of Imperial Oil by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Group One Trading LLC now owns 755 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Imperial Oil by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 28,082 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,029,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN grew its position in Imperial Oil by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,920 shares of the energy company's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.74% of the company's stock.

About Imperial Oil

Imperial Oil Limited engages in exploration, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream and Chemical segments. The Upstream segment explores and produces crude oil, natural gas, synthetic crude oil, and bitumen. The Downstream segment transports and refines crude oil, blends refined products, and distributes and markets of refined products.