Hamlin Capital Management LLC Acquires 591 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 0.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,566,771 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips comprises 3.8% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $155,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COP. Cypress Capital Group boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,790 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,978,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.8% during the third quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,125 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.3% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.0% during the third quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 10,001 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.5% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 4,202 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COP. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $136.00.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $105.76 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.30. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $94.23 and a 52-week high of $135.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $103.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.37. The stock has a market cap of $121.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.19.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.68 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.10%.

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.