ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $115.5417.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Capital One Financial increased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on ConocoPhillips from $117.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total value of $46,315,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 325,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,152,410. This trade represents a 60.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 120,251,183 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $11,256,713,000 after acquiring an additional 408,304 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,360,060 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,527,230,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714,663 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 41,450,162 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,880,151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350,645 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,038,675 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,407,770,000 after buying an additional 648,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 14,847,367 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,389,862,000 after buying an additional 193,401 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $111.64 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $137.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $99.60 and its 200-day moving average is $94.65. 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 has a 1-year low of $79.88 and a 1-year high of $113.80.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.21). The firm had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.35 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 11.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.98 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

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.