Hills Bank & Trust Co Sells 99 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Hills Bank & Trust Co decreased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,275 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC raised its position in ConocoPhillips by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 63.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 287 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price target (up from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Scotiabank lifted 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. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $149.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $142.76.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE COP traded up $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $123.43. 5,430,489 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,355,957. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $124.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $97.42 and a 1-year high of $135.18.

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

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

ConocoPhillips 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.