Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Exxon Mobil Call Options (NYSE:XOM)

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 688,774 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 479% compared to the typical volume of 118,951 call options.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

XOM traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $117.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,052,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,716,313. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $464.84 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.96. Exxon Mobil has a fifty-two week low of $95.77 and a fifty-two week high of $123.75.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The oil and gas company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $83.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.69 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.62% and a return on equity of 16.75%. Exxon Mobil's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil will post 9.57 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.57%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,400 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 30,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,169,845. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $252,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 30,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,169,845. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,426 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $288,718.26. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 25,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,018,450.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil during the first quarter worth about $25,000. First Pacific Financial acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the first quarter worth approximately $76,000. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on XOM. TD Cowen upped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Exxon Mobil from $114.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Exxon Mobil in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $147.00 price objective on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.35.

About Exxon Mobil

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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