Cullen Investment Group LTD. Boosts Holdings in ConocoPhillips $COP

Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 661.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 35,964 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,238 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $3,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COP. Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,053 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth approximately $222,000. Foster Group Inc. lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 23,986 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242 shares during the last quarter. Balefire LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 27,720 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,595,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,317 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 34,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.68, for a total transaction of $4,128,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 17,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,090,689.92. This trade represents a 66.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total value of $888,657.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,488.70. The trade was a 56.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 621,670 shares of company stock valued at $78,320,133 in the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on COP. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research cut ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.52.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP stock opened at $128.85 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.16 and a 200-day moving average of $98.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.27. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $79.88 and a 12 month high of $131.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.21). ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 12.98%.The firm had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.98 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

ConocoPhillips News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/industry pieces highlight ConocoPhillips as well-positioned among integrated U.S. energy names despite headwinds, supporting longer‑term demand for COP exposure. 3 US Integrated Energy Stocks to Gain Despite Industry Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ryan Lance told press that while roughly 20% of global LNG capacity isn’t flowing after recent strikes, the impact is “manageable” for ConocoPhillips — messaging that suggests the company expects limited long‑term operational disruption. CNBC Interview with CEO Ryan Lance
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/derivatives desks note COP looks like a candidate for covered‑call strategies given elevated price targets and volatility — a signal some investors see as opportunity to harvest premium rather than chase upside. Covered Call COP Plays Look Attractive
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/community initiatives and bullish retail writeups (articles debating buy theses) keep positive investor interest but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. UTPB Small Biz Builder program
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales were disclosed this week: SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 7,700 shares, EVP Nicholas Olds sold ~6,994 shares, and reports show CEO Ryan Lance executed a large sale (506,800 shares). Significant insider selling can increase investor caution about near‑term positioning. Kelly Brunetti Rose insider sale Ryan Lance sale report
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical/operational risk: ConocoPhillips is urging the U.S. to expand protection around Qatari energy assets after Iranian strikes damaged facilities; the company reported evacuations and heightened security — a near‑term risk to LNG operations and project timelines. ConocoPhillips Seeks US Protection (Qatar)
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell‑side activity is cautious: Truist initiated a “hold” with a modest downside target and other mixed analyst notes continue to create a range of price expectations, tempering near‑term upside. (See multiple analyst notes summarized in recent coverage.)

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.