Lazard Asset Management LLC Lowers Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,699,008 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 1,014,168 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 1.1% of Lazard Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Exxon Mobil worth $720,611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth about $120,962,000. Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth about $1,590,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 300.1% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 14,261 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,534,000 after acquiring an additional 10,697 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 709,539 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $76,362,000 after acquiring an additional 132,507 shares during the period. Finally, KKM Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 24,440 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,629,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company's stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $107.38 on Monday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a twelve month low of $97.80 and a twelve month high of $126.34. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $108.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market capitalization of $464.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.51.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $83.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.11 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is 52.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho cut their price target on Exxon Mobil from $131.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $131.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.

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