Jim Lebenthal Exxon Mobil XOM-N BUY Aug 15, 2025

Is overvalued vs. Chevron. Don't own any oil stocks, because of their high PE which limits their yields.

Amazing capital allocators. Only problem is that political leaders think oil usage is obsolete. A must-own.

It reports Friday. He won't buy any oils, because these companies could cave to Trump's demands of drilling like mad. He thinks they will stay disciplined.

He's bullish energy and this is the must-buy. Scale will matter and XOM can spread its costs over a wide base.

They report Friday. He doubts they will report anything positive because of the low price of oil.

It's tough being overweight energy now with WTI negative on a YOY basis and badly underperforms the market.

Shareholder returns are a little lighter than peers. Valuation a bit higher than peers. Cashflow per share growth is in line with peers, as is the payout ratio. Balance sheet better than peers. 

How many boxes does it tick? Ends up being fair. He wouldn't be buying a big oil company right now in front of the OPEC meeting.

A name to consider instead of CVX.

He's overweight energy. XOM is investing heavily to help put up data centres. Are well-positioned.