Van Strum & Towne Inc. Grows Holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,802 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,923 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil comprises 0.0% of Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $4,927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Copperwynd Financial LLC raised its position in Exxon Mobil by 167.1% during the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 5,815 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $626,000 after buying an additional 3,638 shares during the last quarter. Maiden Cove Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth $203,000. Montis Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth $360,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil during the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Hills Bank & Trust Co grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 44,890 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of Exxon Mobil stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

XOM stock opened at $111.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $485.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 1 year low of $103.67 and a 1 year high of $126.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $109.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.68.

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 net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on XOM shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets cut 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. HSBC cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.25.

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.