Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Shares Up 2% – Should You Buy?

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) shares shot up 2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $127.14 and last traded at $126.47. 21,429,704 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 7% from the average session volume of 20,101,994 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.03.

More Exxon Mobil News

Here are the key news stories impacting Exxon Mobil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oil prices have rallied back above key levels, supporting higher revenue/earnings expectations for large integrated oil names like Exxon. Oil Is Surging Over $60 – Grab These Large Cap High-Yield Dividend Energy Giants Now
• Positive Sentiment: Shares hit a fresh high amid investor focus on Exxon’s positioning and the White House Venezuela initiative — the market reaction has been constructive even as political rhetoric escalates. Exxon Mobil’s stock hits a new high. Its CEO’s call on Venezuela may be helping.
• Positive Sentiment: Research houses have recently lifted estimates for Exxon, which can underpin investor confidence ahead of earnings. Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for Exxon Mobil
• Neutral Sentiment: ExxonMobil confirmed its fourth-quarter 2025 results will be released on Jan. 30, giving investors a near-term event to reprice the stock on actual results. ExxonMobil to Release Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company sources say Exxon remains interested in an assessment visit to Venezuela despite President Trump’s public rebuke, signaling management still sees the long-term potential even if access is politically uncertain. Exxon Mobil still interested in Venezuela visit despite Trump rebuke
• Negative Sentiment: President Trump said he may exclude Exxon from Venezuela investments after CEO Darren Woods called the country “uninvestable,” creating a material geopolitical/policy risk to any Venezuelan upside for Exxon. Trump says he might keep Exxon out of Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Exxon warned its Q4 earnings will be lower due to a fall in global crude prices, which is a direct near-term drag on reported profits and could temper upside if Q4 results miss expectations. Exxon Mobil (XOM) Forecasts Lower Q4 Earnings Due to Decline in Crude Prices

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XOM shares. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Friday, December 12th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, December 8th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Exxon Mobil from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $130.25.

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 2.0%

The stock has a market cap of $533.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 7.77 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 8.99%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Exxon Mobil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is 59.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $351,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 28,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,349,758.96. This trade represents a 9.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exxon Mobil

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 0.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,058,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $46,468,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,231 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 96,307,931 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,345,132,000 after purchasing an additional 342,967 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,163,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,598,313 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,023,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274,860 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Exxon Mobil by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,026,019 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,963,934,000 after purchasing an additional 445,283 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) is an integrated oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products and the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals. Its operations span the full energy value chain, including upstream exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas; midstream transportation and storage; and downstream refining, product distribution and retail. The company also produces a broad range of chemical products for industrial and consumer applications.

ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under well-known brands such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, and its Mobil 1 motor oil is a prominent consumer product.