Exxon Mobil Corporation Sees Unusually High Options Volume (XOM)

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 58,131 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 255% compared to the average volume of 16,358 call options.

Shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) traded down 0.96% during midday trading on Friday, hitting $78.21. 10,192,375 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 52 week low of $78.20 and a 52 week high of $93.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $80.50 and a 200-day moving average of $81.75. The firm has a market cap of $331.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.19 and a beta of 0.81.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The oil and gas company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.05. Exxon Mobil Corporation had a return on equity of 7.62% and a net margin of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $62.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. Exxon Mobil Corporation’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post $3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 10th. Exxon Mobil Corporation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.19%.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on XOM shares. Vetr raised Exxon Mobil Corporation from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $89.25 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, June 5th. Societe Generale set a $95.00 price target on Exxon Mobil Corporation and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $81.00 price target on Exxon Mobil Corporation and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. UBS AG set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, Argus reiterated a “focus list” rating and set a $104.00 price objective (up previously from $91.00) on shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $84.98.

In other news, Director Steven Reinemund sold 1,100 shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.23, for a total transaction of $88,253.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 43,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,459,918.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil Corporation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. Horan Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil Corporation during the first quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in Exxon Mobil Corporation by 27.2% in the second quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Watermark Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil Corporation during the first quarter valued at approximately $136,000. Finally, Acrospire Investment Management LLC raised its position in Exxon Mobil Corporation by 172.7% in the second quarter. Acrospire Investment Management LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. 50.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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About Exxon Mobil Corporation

Exxon Mobil Corporation is engaged in energy business. The Company is engaged in the exploration, production, transportation and sale of crude oil and natural gas, and the manufacture, transportation and sale of petroleum products. The Company also manufactures and markets commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, and a range of specialty products.