ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Director R A. Walker Buys 10,400 Shares

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. This represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

ConocoPhillips stock opened at $95.85 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.31. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $95.75 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The company has a market cap of $110.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 19.53% and a net margin of 17.29%. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.10%.

Institutional Trading of ConocoPhillips

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 69.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Mizuho upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.24.

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.