ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Acquired by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 11,527 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 87.8% during the 4th quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 96.0% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 247 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its stake in ConocoPhillips by 63.1% in the 3rd quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 287 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on COP shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective (up from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $173.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.24.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total transaction of $76,427,370.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total transaction of $502,781.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,399.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of COP stock traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $130.24. 4,823,139 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,808,210. The firm has a market cap of $153.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.24. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $95.70 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $122.49 and a 200 day moving average of $117.64.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $15.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. Analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.57 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.61%.

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.