In its third quarter, ExxonMobil's revenue dipped 2.4 percent from year-ago levels and earnings dropped 18 percent. But gains in oil and natural-gas production reversed falling production levels from earlier in the year. It returned $5.8 billion to shareholders through a combination of share buybacks and dividend payments. ExxonMobil recently yielded 2.6 percent, and it has been hiking its dividend by an annual average of 10 percent over the past five years. It offers great global diversification, too, with refineries in 32 nations. Ask the Fool Q: I see that General Motors just appointed Mary Barra as its new CEO. What other big companies have women in charge? – C.L., Baton Rouge, La. A: There are 21 women running Fortune 500 companies – but 96 percent of the companies are still run by men. At least the numbers have been rising in recent years, up from just six in 2002.