Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.84 Billion Stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 35,662,602 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,140,046 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil comprises approximately 1.1% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $3,836,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Rockline Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,918 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,788,000 after buying an additional 1,498 shares in the last quarter. Renasant Bank grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Renasant Bank now owns 10,369 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $4,479,000 after purchasing an additional 2,825 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 41.3% during 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 during the period. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP now owns 307,243 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,015,000 after acquiring an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

XOM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $130.00 to $123.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Argus raised Exxon Mobil to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on Exxon Mobil from $117.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.05.

Exxon Mobil Stock Down 0.2 %

Exxon Mobil stock opened at $117.66 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $110.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $510.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.01, a P/E/G 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.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $1.67 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 last year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,100 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,989,570. This represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.