Sanford C. Bernstein Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) Stock Price

05 Jan 2026, 09:06 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM – Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $142.00 to $137.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.75% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Exxon Mobil from $156.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $127.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Exxon Mobil currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.81.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:XOM opened at $122.59 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $516.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.82, a PEG ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Exxon Mobil has a 12 month low of $97.80 and a 12 month high of $122.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.56.

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 8.99%.The firm had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Exxon Mobil will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $351,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 28,584 shares in the company, valued at $3,349,758.96. This trade represents a 9.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Exxon Mobil

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Exxon Mobil by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 105,595 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,707,000 after acquiring an additional 14,684 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 12,822 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,543,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 17,432 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,098,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its stake in Exxon Mobil by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 1,642 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Finivi Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 3.7% in the third quarter. Finivi Inc. now owns 28,660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,231,000 after buying an additional 1,034 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Exxon Mobil

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

Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to a surprise U.S. operation in Venezuela pushed investors into big oil names despite little change in crude prices — traders are pricing geopolitical optionality for majors like Exxon that could benefit if U.S. policy opens Venezuelan reserves. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: U.S. officials have signaled that oil majors would need to commit capital in Venezuela to pursue recovery of past claims — if Exxon secures access, the company’s scale and balance sheet make it a prime beneficiary of any eventual production rebuild. This is a longer-term positive catalyst for reserves and growth optionality. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are revisiting XOM’s valuation and cash-flow story after recent momentum; stronger free cash flow expectations and a yield-plus-buyback case are supporting multiple expansion but don’t guarantee near-term earnings upside. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options activity has been reported on XOM, which can amplify intraday moves and create short-term volatility without changing fundamentals — worth watching for momentum traders. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Social-media chatter and data aggregators note insider selling and mixed investor sentiment ahead of earnings; insider sales and elevated discussion can add downward pressure or increase volatility around upcoming reports. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Any pathway into Venezuelan assets will likely require substantial upfront capital and carries political/legal risk; the White House signal that majors must reinvest to recover claims raises the prospect of large, near-term capex and execution risk for Exxon. Read More.

Exxon Mobil Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.