Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in Exxon Mobil Corporation increased dramatically by 234,400% in July, totaling 37,520,000 shares as of July 15th.
• Exxon Mobil's stock price was down by 1.9%, trading at $109.56, while the company holds a market capitalization of $472.15 billion.
• Exxon Mobil announced a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share, with a yield of 3.6% and a payout ratio of 52.52%.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 37,520,000 shares, agrowthof234,400.0% from the June 30th total of 16,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays restated a "hold" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $129.00 to $124.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $127.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.42.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

NYSE XOM traded down $2.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $109.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 19,647,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,955,870. The stock has a market cap of $472.38 billion, a PE ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.53. Exxon Mobil has a fifty-two week low of $97.80 and a fifty-two week high of $126.34. The company's 50-day moving average is $109.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.24.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The oil and gas company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $81.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.07 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.49% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.14 EPS. Analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Exxon Mobil's payout ratio is currently 52.52%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nottingham Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Nottingham Advisors Inc. now owns 7,093 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $763,000 after buying an additional 2,144 shares in the last quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $863,000. Martin Worley Group acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $497,000. World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 148,604 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $15,985,000 after buying an additional 24,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68,246 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $7,342,000 after buying an additional 12,694 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.