ConocoPhillips Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:COP)

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 73,214 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 366% compared to the average volume of 15,723 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other ConocoPhillips news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dominic E. Macklon sold 23,372 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.17, for a total transaction of $2,621,637.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of ConocoPhillips

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COP. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 96.0% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 247 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:COP opened at $123.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $144.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.25. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $97.42 and a fifty-two week high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $124.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.63.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.40% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 target price for the company. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price target (up previously from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.76.

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.