Avitas Wealth Management LLC Raises Stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,615 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil accounts for about 0.8% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $5,983,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 151,863,649 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,801,457,000 after buying an additional 395,218 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 92,194,981 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,777,735,000 after buying an additional 1,622,064 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 16.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 31,522,556 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,936,929,000 after buying an additional 4,415,012 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,160,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,652,589,000 after buying an additional 146,374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.4% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 29,197,557 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,422,538,000 after buying an additional 949,875 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:XOM opened at $108.87 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a twelve month low of $100.42 and a twelve month high of $126.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $478.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50 day moving average is $109.59 and its 200 day moving average is $115.00.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by ($0.10). Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.48 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.65 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bernstein Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $149.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $124.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.