First Merchants Corp Decreases Stake in Exxon Mobil Corporation $XOM

First Merchants Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,975 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $6,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 121.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Exxon Mobil during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1,595.2% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 95.8% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 370 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Exxon Mobil News

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 topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Exxon Mobil from $134.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $145.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.00.

Insider Activity at Exxon Mobil

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.75, for a total transaction of $698,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 23,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,295,864. This trade represents a 17.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,460 shares of company stock worth $1,687,854. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Exxon Mobil Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NYSE XOM opened at $171.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.15. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 1 year low of $97.80 and a 1 year high of $171.23. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.01. The firm has a market cap of $713.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.35.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.08. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 8.68%.The firm had revenue of $80.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. Exxon Mobil’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement

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

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.