ConocoPhillips (COP) – What Are Brokerages Saying About This Stock?

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $143.29.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on COP. Barclays lowered their price target on ConocoPhillips from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 17th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $130.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Roth Capital raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $124.00 to $130.00 in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, SVP Andrew Lundquist sold 9,487 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.15, for a total transaction of $1,282,168.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,296,493.95. This trade represents a 49.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp raised its position in ConocoPhillips by 73.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 118,591,447 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $12,328,767,000 after buying an additional 50,116,727 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 93,886,457 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $9,760,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,712,703 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,360,060 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,527,230,000 after acquiring an additional 2,714,663 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 12.0% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,072,154 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,566,901,000 after acquiring an additional 1,609,759 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,038,675 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,407,770,000 after purchasing an additional 648,432 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil prices and supply concerns: Crude prices rose after a tanker attack disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while hurricane-related shutdowns reduced Gulf of Mexico production. A larger-than-expected decline in U.S. inventories further tightened the market, improving the earnings and cash-flow outlook for upstream producers such as COP. ConocoPhillips gains as oil prices jump on supply fears
• Positive Sentiment: Potential $7 billion asset transaction: ConocoPhillips is evaluating an unsolicited offer for certain assets. Although the company has not committed to a sale, a transaction of that size could unlock value, strengthen the balance sheet, or fund shareholder returns if completed. With Oil Over $100 and a $7 Billion Offer on the Table
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive earnings expectations: Zacks upgraded COP from “hold” to “strong-buy,” citing its history of earnings surprises and favorable conditions for another beat. The company’s latest report exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates, reaffirmed full-year guidance, and highlighted strong operating cash flow and increased share repurchases. Will ConocoPhillips Beat Estimates Again?
• Positive Sentiment: Firm demand outlook: Coverage points to resilient crude and LNG demand, while several analysts maintain favorable ratings and price targets above the recent trading level. ConocoPhillips Stays in Focus as Crude and LNG Demand Firm
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional positioning: Some major institutions increased their COP holdings, but others reduced exposure, suggesting broad investor interest without a uniform conviction signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Three insiders sold shares during the past six months and no open-market purchases were reported. The sales may modestly temper sentiment, although they do not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 0.1%

COP stock opened at $134.12 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $129.66 and a 200 day moving average of $122.05. The firm has a market cap of $161.12 billion, a PE ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $85.57 and a twelve month high of $141.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.34. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 14.22%. The business had revenue of $19.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 10.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 44.44%.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in finding, developing and producing crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids and liquefied natural gas. Unlike integrated energy companies, ConocoPhillips focuses primarily on upstream activities rather than refining and retail fuel operations.

The company has a diversified portfolio of assets in major producing regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Norway and Qatar. Its U.S. operations include oil and gas developments in Alaska and the Lower 48 states, while its international portfolio includes conventional and offshore projects.