Welch & Forbes LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

Welch & Forbes LLC lessened its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 5.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 291,236 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 15,660 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $32,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in XOM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,058,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $46,468,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,231 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 96,307,931 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,345,132,000 after purchasing an additional 342,967 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,163,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 46,598,313 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,023,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 33,500,304 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,611,553,000 after buying an additional 1,126,912 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.80% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other Exxon Mobil news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $351,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 28,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,349,758.96. This represents a 9.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on XOM. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $156.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research cut shares of Exxon Mobil from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $137.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.93.

Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of XOM opened at $141.43 on Friday. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 12 month low of $97.80 and a 12 month high of $142.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $122.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.10. The company has a market cap of $596.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 0.37.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $82.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Exxon Mobil’s payout ratio is currently 59.88%.

Exxon Mobil News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat: Adjusted EPS of $1.71 topped consensus (roughly $1.63–$1.68), giving the stock an earnings-driven lift into the session. Exxon Mobil Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Production
• Positive Sentiment: Record/low‑cost production and cost savings: Strong output from the Permian and Guyana plus reported cost efficiencies boosted margins and offset weaker crude prices. That supports near‑term cash flow and shareholder returns. Exxon Mobil beats profit estimates on record production, cost savings
• Positive Sentiment: Refining resilience and shareholder returns: Management highlighted refining margin strength and reiterated capital allocation/return plans in its press materials and slide deck, supporting yield and buyback expectations. View Slide Deck / Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary on Venezuela: Darren Woods said Exxon would consider Venezuela only if political conditions change, which keeps a sizeable resource base off the immediate investment table — a strategic comment that is more about long‑term optionality than near‑term earnings. Exxon CEO says Venezuela needs to transition to democracy for oil investment to make sense
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst optimism: Some firms (e.g., Bank of America coverage) are forecasting upside over time, which can support multiple expansion, but that is conditional on execution and commodity prices. Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Exxon Mobil
• Negative Sentiment: Annual profits and oil‑price headwinds: Full‑year 2025 results were down versus 2024 (non‑GAAP EPS and GAAP earnings declined), and crude oil fell ~20% in 2025 — a clear headwind to upstream margins if prices stay depressed. ExxonMobil Announces 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Upstream sensitivity: Analysts warned pre‑earnings that lower crude prices would pressure upstream earnings; sustained lower pricing remains the main risk to future beats. Exxon Q4 preview: Crude price headwinds to hit Exxon’s upstream earnings

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

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.