ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Position Raised by SCP Investment LP

SCP Investment LP increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,668 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips accounts for about 0.9% of SCP Investment LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. SCP Investment LP’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 7.8% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 134,285 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $16,087,000 after purchasing an additional 9,723 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at $205,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 5.1% during the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,208 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 6.1% during the third quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,142 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Finally, Hills Bank & Trust Co lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 118.6% during the third quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 4,374 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 2,373 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ConocoPhillips news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total transaction of $76,427,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total value of $953,070.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $139.00 target price (up from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.76.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of COP stock traded up $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $123.43. 5,430,489 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,355,957. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $97.42 and a twelve month high of $135.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $124.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.40% and a return on equity of 20.85%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 9.1 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.27%.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

ConocoPhillips explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas liquids in the United States, Canada, China, Libya, Malaysia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; global LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects.