Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Trading Up 1.3% – Should You Buy?

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)’s stock price rose 1.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $165.68 and last traded at $165.4310. Approximately 18,573,192 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 22,079,311 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.26.

Trending Headlines about Exxon Mobil

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rising crude and geopolitical risk lift near‑term outlook — higher oil prices from Middle East tensions are cited as a catalyst for stronger cash flow and earnings potential for Exxon. What Lies Ahead for ExxonMobil Amid Surging Crude Prices?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and target hikes: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $172 and kept an Overweight rating, supporting higher sentiment and buying. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price recommendation to $195 (from $159) and reiterated Outperform, adding upside to estimates and investor interest. Bernstein Raises Exxon Target
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrades to earnings forecasts: Erste Group lifted FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, implying stronger forward earnings than consensus. MarketBeat: Erste Group note
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options flow — traders bought ~163,879 XOM call contracts (about a 30% increase vs. typical call volume), indicating speculative or hedged bullish bets that likely boosted intraday demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational execution: Exxon participated in the industry’s first fully automated offshore well placement in Guyana, showcasing tech-led efficiency gains that can lower costs and speed production growth. Halliburton & Guyana automation
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic portfolio moves: Exxon is weighing an exit from New Zealand to refocus on higher‑return advantaged assets — a potential long‑term efficiency play but not an immediate earnings driver. Exxon New Zealand exit
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and downside risk commentary: Several pieces note XOM’s valuation has risen sharply (one piece highlights XOM exceeding Nvidia by some measures) and question whether elevated oil prices could later expose valuation downside if prices normalize. Exxon vs. Nvidia valuation discussion
• Negative Sentiment: “Tailwind or trap?” analysts warn that while oil >$95 helps earnings now, higher valuations and sustained high prices raise the risk of sharper downside if geopolitical tensions ease. Oil Over $95: Tailwind or Trap?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

XOM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $142.00 to $137.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Exxon Mobil from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Exxon Mobil from $135.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.00.

Exxon Mobil Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $713.22 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $149.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.01.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The company had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Exxon Mobil’s dividend payout ratio is 61.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exxon Mobil

In related news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total value of $698,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 23,584 shares in the company, valued at $3,295,864. The trade was a 17.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XOM. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Exxon Mobil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $305,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Exxon Mobil by 1.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,237 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.8% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 21,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,352,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 17.4% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 36,710 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,957,000 after purchasing an additional 5,443 shares during the period. 61.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.