Exxon's revenue missed expectations, however
The shares of Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE:XOM) are up 1.9% at $109.60 this morning following the company's third-quarter earnings report. The oil giant posted record-setting profits of $4.45 per share for the quarter, blowing away analysts' estimates of $2.87 per share, while its revenue of $112.07 billion fell below expectations. The company cited rising natural gas prices and oil prices amid strong fuel demand as sources for the strong results.
The security is set to open at yet another record high on the charts. The stock's October rally has been nothing short of impressive, with XOM up over 23% this month alone. The 10-day moving average has helped guide shares to their recent highs -- toppling the stock's former June peak last last week -- and now Exxon Mobil stock is up more than 75% this year.
Analysts have yet to chime in, and though sentiment is mostly bullish there's still a few hold outs. Of the 14 in coverage, five still say "hold." Plus, the 12-month consensus price target of $109.88 is a slim 2.2% premium to last night's close.
Short sellers were piling on ahead of the event, up 17.9% in the last reporting period. However, the 41.54 million shares sold short represent just 1% of the stock's available float.
While calls are still outnumber puts on an overall basis, the latter have rarely been more popular. This is per the equity's 50-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which stands higher than 90% of readings from the past year.