ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Mizuho increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.76.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $128.49 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $114.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.91. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $79.88 and a 52-week high of $135.87. The company has a market cap of $156.61 billion, a PE ratio of 20.27, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 11.90%. The company had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.26, for a total transaction of $64,495,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $869,822.10. The trade was a 98.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total transaction of $888,657.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $685,488.70. This represents a 56.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 621,670 shares of company stock valued at $78,320,133. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 18.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 45,645,397 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $4,318,239,000 after purchasing an additional 7,037,873 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 31.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 10,778,664 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $966,267,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575,803 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 229.2% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,595,177 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $336,544,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503,156 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 10,351,010 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $979,102,000 after buying an additional 2,467,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 6.0% during 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 buying an additional 2,350,645 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Key ConocoPhillips News

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded ConocoPhillips from “strong sell” to “hold,” and an analyst upgrade helped push COP to a new 1‑year high earlier — a catalyst that supported recent upside in the shares. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Local Permian Basin community engagement (small-business training) is modestly positive for Permian operations and PR, though it is unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Permian Training Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs published bullish views on several dividend-paying energy names; broad positive analyst sentiment toward integrated/producer names can support sector flows, but the article does not single out COP for a specific rating change. Goldman Sachs Energy Picks
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of ExxonMobil’s advantaged upstream assets highlights why some investors may favor XOM’s growth/return profile; this competitor focus can reallocate capital within the sector away from peers like COP. Exxon Upstream Assets
• Negative Sentiment: Market reports show COP shares falling on the session amid broad market moves — headline pieces note a -2.7% session decline as investors trim positions after the recent run-up. Zacks: COP Stock Sinks
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and traders cite an unwind of the geopolitical/war premium (Iran de‑escalation hopes), which reduced WTI crude and pressured COP shares that benefited from higher risk-premium levels. Benzinga: Unwinding War Premium

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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.