ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Price Target Raised to $115.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) had its price objective lifted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $108.00 to $115.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the energy producer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on COP. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, October 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips to $113.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 20th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $110.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $98.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $122.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.00.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

COP opened at $96.81 on Thursday. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $79.88 and a twelve month high of $106.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $93.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.99.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 14.25%.The company had revenue of $15.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.52%.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total value of $46,315,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 325,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,152,410. This trade represents a 60.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William H. Mcraven acquired 5,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the acquisition, the director owned 5,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,970.24. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COP. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 136.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 315 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on ConocoPhillips to $115 from $108 and kept a Buy rating — the new target implies solid upside and supports further investor interest. Read More., Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James boosted its COP target to $113 (from $98) and reiterated an Outperform rating — another vote of confidence that adds upward pressure to valuations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Capital One raised its price target to $116 (from $111) while maintaining an Equal Weight rating — price-target increases from multiple firms can lift sentiment even if the underlying conviction differs. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Western Midstream announced new deals involving Occidental and ConocoPhillips — incremental midstream contracts can improve logistics and take-away capacity, which is constructive for production realization and margins. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage in outlets highlighting Alaska activity (e.g., an article on development near an Iñupiaq village) provides regional context on long-term Alaska upside, but it’s more thematic than immediately market-moving for COP. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan downgraded ConocoPhillips from Overweight to Neutral (reported across outlets) — a high-profile downgrade can weigh on near-term sentiment and limit upside from bullish price-target revisions. Read More., Read More.

About ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets.

The company’s activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world.