ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $137.63.

COP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank cut their price target on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $126.00 target price (down from $139.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, October 18th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vicus Capital grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 2,637 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 2.5% during the second quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 3,900 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Excalibur Management Corp increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 2.4% in the second quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 4,037 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $462,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,790 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,978,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 36,739 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,202,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 0.9 %

COP stock opened at $108.34 on Wednesday. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $101.29 and a fifty-two week high of $135.18. The company has a market capitalization of $124.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $108.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.30.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 19.53% and a net margin of 17.29%. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.10%.

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.