Safeguard Financial LLC Sells 579 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Safeguard Financial LLC reduced its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,682 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 579 shares during the period. Safeguard Financial LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $660,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 98,832.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,584,373 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,012,956,000 after buying an additional 8,575,696 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,647,723 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,964,432,000 after buying an additional 3,497,750 shares during the last quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth about $310,102,000. Cowa LLC increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6,475.2% in the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 2,375,224 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,383,000 after buying an additional 2,339,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth about $186,330,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:COP traded down $0.72 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $129.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,875,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,500,706. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.38 billion, a PE ratio of 14.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.24. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $95.70 and a twelve month high of $135.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $119.24 and a 200 day moving average of $116.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. The firm 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 25.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $139.00 to $133.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $152.00 to $133.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Five equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other ConocoPhillips news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total transaction of $1,536,246.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,522 shares in the company, valued at $1,836,161.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.