ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Acquired by Your Advocates Ltd. LLP

Your Advocates Ltd. LLP boosted its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 34.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,201 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,892 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips accounts for about 0.5% of Your Advocates Ltd. LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Second Line Capital LLC raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,990 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 7,091 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,184 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 3,177 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Unison Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 17,145 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,700,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $96.94 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $91.28 and a 200 day moving average of $94.25. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $79.88 and a 12 month high of $116.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.61. 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 (NYSE:COP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy producer reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 16.54% and a net margin of 16.02%. The company had revenue of $16.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.05 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Bank of America cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $107.00 to $106.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Scotiabank raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Kirk L. Johnson bought 5,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $94.24 per share, for a total transaction of $499,472.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 14,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,369,024.48. The trade was a 57.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

ConocoPhillips 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.