V Square Quantitative Management LLC Purchases 4,233 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 33.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,779 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,233 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

NYSE:COP opened at $96.90 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $111.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. On average, analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 40.05%.

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.