How to buy Exxon stock (XOM)—5 steps to invest
Fact Checked: Amy Tokic
Updated: January 10, 2025
Exxon Mobil generated $36.0 billion in 20231, leading all other US-based oil companies. The company has made money in oil for more than 100 years, but it has made several investments related to its net zero initiatives. The company’s Mobil Lithium business and the acquisition of carbon capture firm, Denbury, for $4.8 billion are some of the highlights.
Exxon Mobil aims to invest $30 billion into “lower emissions investment opportunities2” before 2030. The company also delivered a 40-year high 3.2 million barrels of oil per day3 in Q3 2024.
This guide will reveal how to buy Exxon Mobil stock and help you gauge if it’s the right stock for your portfolio.
How to buy Exxon stock
Buying Exxon Mobil stock or acquiring shares in any other publicly traded company is pretty straightforward. You will have to follow these steps.
- 1.
Create a brokerage account: A brokerage account allows you to buy and sell publicly traded companies. These accounts also let you trade ETFs, mutual funds, bonds and other assets. You’ll have to provide personal information like your name, email address and Social Security Number when opening a brokerage account.
- 2.
Open an order ticket: Every stock trade starts with an order ticket. You can input a company’s name or ticker to see the current price. Investors can place market orders or limit orders. Market orders go through right away at the current price, while limit orders only go through when a stock reaches the limit order’s designated price per share.
- 3.
Specify Exxon Mobil stock: Exxon Mobil trades under the ticker symbol “XOM.” Some brokerage firms will let you type the company’s name, but you will see Exxon Mobil’s information if you type XOM.
- 4.
Decide on the number of shares: After typing in XOM, you’ll have to decide how many shares you want to buy. The order ticket will then show how much the transaction will cost. Most brokerage firms let you buy fractional shares if you do not have enough cash to buy an entire share. For instance, you can buy 0.5 shares of Exxon Mobil stock.
- 5.
Initiate the order: After reviewing the order ticket, you can place your order. Then, the shares should show up in your portfolio if you refresh the page. However, limit orders may take a little longer, and there is the chance that your limit order never gets completed.
Top brokers for stock investing
If you’re an active investor or options trader looking for a way to save money on trades, you may want to check out discount broker tastytrade. The online service has some of the lowest prices around.
Acorns is an investing service and savings tool rolled into one. This microsavings app makes investing easy — you won't even notice because you're spending spare change each time.
About Exxon Inc.
Exxon Mobil is the largest US-based oil and gas company, arising from the Standard Oil Monopoly. Rockefeller’s many oil companies gradually acquired competitors and merged. Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999 to form Exxon Mobil4. Exxon was originally Standard Oil of New Jersey, while Mobil was originally Standard Oil of New York. Both companies were renamed decades before the merger.
Is Exxon a good stock to buy?
Exxon Mobil has trailed the S&P 500 year-to-date over the past five years. The oil giant has delivered a 5% return over the past year and is up 52% over the past five years. XOM has produced an annualized 4.2% return over the past decade5.
Even though Exxon Mobil has underperformed major indices in the long run, the stock still attracts many investors. That’s because investors want cash flow and believe the stock is less risky than high-flying growth stocks.
For instance, Exxon Mobil gained roughly 80% in 2022 as inflation soared. During 2024, many tech stocks and pandemic darlings lost 20 to 50% of their value. Some investors are okay with sacrificing higher potential returns in exchange for minimizing risk.
Exxon Mobil also has a 3.72% yield, which is a higher yield than most dividend stocks. Retirees and people who prioritize dividend income over growth often gravitate toward this stock. Exxon Mobil is also back to dividend hikes and raised its annual dividend per share from $3.80 to $3.96 in 2024. That’s a 4.2% year-over-year increase.
Pros and cons of buying Exxon stock
Pros
-
Exxon Mobil has a high dividend yield
-
It's the leader of the oil industry
-
Exxon Mobil can weather inflation and economic slowdowns better than most stocks
Cons
-
The stock has a low dividend growth rate compared to other dividend stocks
-
Exxon Mobil has underperformed the S&P 500 year-to-date and over the past five years
-
Exxon Mobil faces competition from other oil giants like Shell and Chevron
FAQs

Marc Guberti is a certified personal finance counselor and a freelance writer who resides in Scarsdale, New York. His work has been featured in US News & World Report, Newsweek, InvestorPlace, and other publications.
Disclaimer
The content provided on Moneywise is information to help users become financially literate. It is neither tax nor legal advice, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to the data provided, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter. Advertisers are not responsible for the content of this site, including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any advertiser product, please visit their website.
†Terms and Conditions apply.