ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Stake Boosted by Paladin Wealth LLC

Paladin Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,686 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,110 shares during the quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $762,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on COP. TD Cowen initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James lowered shares of ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.72.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

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

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $99.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $114.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $101.05 and a 200-day moving average of $106.11. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

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.