Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV Increases Position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV increased its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,460 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in XOM. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 43,983,110 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,731,263,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538,694 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1,524.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,445,922 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $585,818,000 after acquiring an additional 5,110,603 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 16.3% during the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 4,415,012 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 13,899.5% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,888,812 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 11,131.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,792,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $192,853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,776,848 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

XOM opened at $107.52 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $103.67 and a 52-week high of $126.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.94. The company has a market cap of $466.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.89.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company earned $2.48 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 50.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on XOM shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho decreased 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 note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.