3,318 Shares in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Purchased by Bill Few Associates Inc.

Bill Few Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,318 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cypress Capital Group boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,790 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,978,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,125 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 10,001 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.5% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 4,202 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. This represents a 37.68 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $103.02 on Thursday. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.18. The company has a market cap of $118.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $103.36 and a 200 day moving average of $107.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 7.68 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on COP shares. Scotiabank lowered their price target on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.00.

About ConocoPhillips

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.