LM Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

LM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,646 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COP. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,826,062 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $12,081,491,000 after acquiring an additional 12,751,120 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 19.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 66,928,793 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $7,046,263,000 after purchasing an additional 10,663,093 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 20.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 31,161,897 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,280,725,000 after buying an additional 5,240,016 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 401.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,423,611 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $438,690,000 after buying an additional 3,541,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth about $232,859,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 0.3 %

COP opened at $102.86 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $99.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.30. The firm has a market cap of $130.87 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $86.81 and a twelve month high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.29.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. Equities research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on COP shares. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $127.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $131.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.95.

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.