Xponance Inc. Boosts Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,955 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 9,629 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $17,521,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 98,832.5% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,584,373 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $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 fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,647,723 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,964,432,000 after purchasing an additional 3,497,750 shares during the period. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at about $310,102,000. Cowa LLC increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6,475.2% in the first quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 2,375,224 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,383,000 after purchasing an additional 2,339,100 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter valued at about $186,330,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at $853,669.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $853,669.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total value of $1,536,246.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,836,161.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 0.4 %

ConocoPhillips stock traded down $0.52 during trading on Thursday, reaching $127.81. 3,578,171 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,453,397. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $95.70 and a 52-week high of $135.18. The company has a market capitalization of $150.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.01.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 18.71%. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 19th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is currently 25.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on COP shares. Barclays started coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Scotiabank raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $152.00 to $133.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.00.

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.