Ruffer LLP Sells 15,958 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Ruffer LLP lowered its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 289,532 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 15,958 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil makes up about 1.1% of Ruffer LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Ruffer LLP’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $31,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.8% in the 3rd 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 period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 14.4% in 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 buying an additional 5,538,694 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,860,532 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,427,237,000 after buying an additional 700,415 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 16.3% in 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 buying an additional 4,415,012 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their target price 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. reduced their target price 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. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $132.00 to $128.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $231,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

Exxon Mobil stock opened at $109.05 on Friday. 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 $473.20 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.87. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1 year low of $103.67 and a 1 year high of $126.34.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted 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 return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 9.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

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.