Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in ConocoPhillips $COP

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,068,467 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,041 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $193,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 2,370 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 2,570 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 8,018 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $751,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,160 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Roth Mkm cut ConocoPhillips from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $112.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research cut ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.48.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE COP opened at $115.42 on Tuesday. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $85.23 and a fifty-two week high of $135.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $108.78. The stock has a market cap of $140.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.11.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 12.10%.The business had revenue of $15.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 9.92 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.05%.

Key Headlines Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have recently raised their price targets on ConocoPhillips, including Barclays and Raymond James, while maintaining bullish or positive ratings, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in the company’s valuation and long-term earnings potential. Barclays Raises PT on ConocoPhillips (COP) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips was highlighted by hedge-fund and market-screening articles as one of the better oil and gas names to own, with analysts pointing to its deep resource base and LNG portfolio as key strengths. ConocoPhillips (COP) – Among the 14 Best Oil and Gas Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
• Positive Sentiment: Alaska lease-sale news is supportive for ConocoPhillips because the company was among the record bidders, and the expected boost in Alaskan oil production could improve future upstream opportunities for the industry. Alaskan frontier oil boom bodes well for energy industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary says ConocoPhillips has underperformed the Nasdaq over the past year, but this was balanced by the fact that analysts remain moderately optimistic and maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” view. Is ConocoPhillips Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 7,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.03, for a total value of $1,001,231.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,287,678.52. This represents a 23.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 113,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.71, for a total value of $15,025,558.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,448,500. The trade was a 24.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 734,891 shares of company stock worth $93,345,692. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.