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

Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 182,883 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 127% compared to the average daily volume of 80,694 call options.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Exxon Mobil stock traded down $1.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $108.45. 15,487,328 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,577,234. The company has a market capitalization of $467.38 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $109.08 and a 200 day moving average of $111.00. Exxon Mobil has a 1-year low of $97.80 and a 1-year high of $126.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $83.13 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.06 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Exxon Mobil's dividend payout ratio is 52.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XOM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Argus upgraded Exxon Mobil to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 10Elms LLP acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Exxon Mobil in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Exxon Mobil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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