Is $Exxon Mobil(XOM)$ over priced ?
I have been in the oil & gas industry for more than 10 years and I am well aware that crude price affects oil price which in turns affects P&L. Thus it is normal for oil companies to follow oil price.
When the war broke out on 24/Feb/2022, WTI shot up to $119 and XOM also shot up to $105.57 which I felt was "within expectations". However since then, US has increased interest rate to curb inflation, released their reserves to bring down oil price and US has also effectively replaced Russia as the no.1 LNG exporter to Europe. Thus it is not a coincidence that US oil companies are coming in with strong earnings.
However Winter is over and oil price has been as depressed as ever. The last time when WTI was trading at $77.23 was on 20/Dec/2021, and Exxon was only trading at $57.96. But today it is trading at $106.94.
Despite strong earnings, dividends is only $0.03 more per quarter from $0.88 to $0.91. Does it make sense to buy at current level for that $0.03 extra dividends? It's your call. But I certainly won't touch it till it comes down to a more reasonable level, probably in the $80s which is a demand zone. Better to be patient and wait for price to come to you instead of chasing it. Good luck guys. Cheers!
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