Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,900 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $486,000.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. This represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $135.89.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $104.07 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company’s fifty day moving average is $103.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.22.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 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 the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 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.