KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New $177.43 Million Investment in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,649,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,430,000. Exxon Mobil comprises approximately 0.8% of KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockline Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,918 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,498 shares in the last quarter. Renasant Bank raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 10,369 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC now owns 41,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,479,000 after purchasing an additional 2,825 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 36.8% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 25,127 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,945,000 after purchasing an additional 6,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 41.3% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 76,288 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,942,000 after buying an additional 22,296 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the firm’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares in the company, valued at $1,989,570. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of XOM stock opened at $115.30 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52-week low of $103.67 and a 52-week high of $126.34. The stock has a market cap of $500.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.83. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $110.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.58.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $136.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. HSBC dropped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.15.

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.