Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Sells 7,669 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 268,448 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,669 shares during the period. Exxon Mobil comprises 0.9% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $28,877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Vertex Planning Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 3.1% in the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 9,451 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 13,378 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 14,537 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

NYSE XOM opened at $111.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $490.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $109.28 and a 200 day moving average of $114.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Exxon Mobil Co. has a twelve month low of $100.42 and a twelve month high of $126.34.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its 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 net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.48 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on XOM. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Exxon Mobil 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.