ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Holdings Raised by Searle & CO.

Searle & CO. grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 37.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,177 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,448 shares during the period. Searle & CO.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its stake in ConocoPhillips by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,461 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 65.5% during the 4th quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 12,526 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after buying an additional 4,957 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 18,416 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,138,000 after buying an additional 2,060 shares during the last quarter. Oakwell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Oakwell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,086 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,669 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $890,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total value of $502,781.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $293,399.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total value of $502,781.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,399.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William L. Jr. Bullock sold 45,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.32, for a total value of $5,574,064.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 44,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,444,947.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP traded down $1.28 on Wednesday, reaching $124.34. 5,422,033 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,344,500. The firm has a market cap of $146.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.24. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $95.70 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $123.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. The company had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 9.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 25.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho reissued 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. UBS Group boosted 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. Susquehanna increased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Five equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.65.

About ConocoPhillips

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.