Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Sells 1,884 Shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM) by 9.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,566 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,884 shares during the quarter. Exxon Mobil makes up approximately 1.3% of Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $2,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Exxon Mobil by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,054 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 83.0% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,269,030 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $149,213,000 after purchasing an additional 575,649 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 34.3% during the third quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP now owns 4,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 87,926 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,791,000 after purchasing an additional 4,585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dupree Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the fourth quarter valued at about $378,000. Institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

XOM traded down $1.91 on Thursday, reaching $113.57. The company had a trading volume of 15,978,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,459,836. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.80. The company has a market cap of $447.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.38. Exxon Mobil Co. has a 52-week low of $95.77 and a 52-week high of $123.75.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The oil and gas company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.13). Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.62% and a return on equity of 16.75%. The business had revenue of $83.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 9.57 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 46.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,426 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $288,718.26. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,363 shares in the company, valued at $3,018,450.63. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on XOM shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $125.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $138.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $150.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, HSBC increased their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.00.

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.