ZACKSยท2025-07-24 16:21Group 1: Company Overview - Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) and ConocoPhillips (COP) are significant players in the energy sector, with XOM losing 1.1% and COP declining 11.8% over the past year [1] - XOM operates as an integrated energy player, engaging in both upstream and downstream activities, including exploration, production, refining, and marketing [3] - In contrast, COP focuses primarily on exploration and production, making it more susceptible to commodity price fluctuations [4] Group 2: Financial Performance and Dividends - XOM has a diversified business model that has allowed it to consistently return capital to shareholders, increasing its per-share dividend payments for 42 consecutive years at an average annual rate of 5.8% [6] - COP, while also distributing dividends, had to reduce its payout by 66% during the 2016 oil slump, indicating less reliability in its dividend payments [7] Group 3: Valuation and Market Perception - Investors appear to favor XOM over COP, as reflected in the higher enterprise value/earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EV/EBITDA) ratio of 6.81 for XOM compared to COP's 5.28 [5][8] - Both companies have seen upward revisions in their 2025 earnings estimates, suggesting that they are worth holding depending on an investor's risk tolerance [11] Group 4: Earnings Estimates - XOM's current earnings estimates for 2025 show a slight increase over the past week, with the current year estimate rising from 6.57 to 6.58 [12]