ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Stock Position Raised by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,556 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 45,847,572 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,546,706,000 after acquiring an additional 5,549,078 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 31,287,113 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,101,989,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473,027 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,570,246 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,544,101,000 after purchasing an additional 4,211,939 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,757,835 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,364,364,000 after purchasing an additional 2,971,661 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,021,394 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,191,984,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078,707 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COP. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $114.00 to $113.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $127.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.33.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE:COP opened at $96.72 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $122.27 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $91.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.13. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $79.88 and a one year high of $116.08.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy producer reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $16.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.74 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 16.54% and a net margin of 16.02%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.05 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is currently 39.64%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kirk L. Johnson acquired 5,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $94.24 per share, with a total value of $499,472.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 14,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,369,024.48. The trade was a 57.44% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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.