Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Sells 535 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp trimmed its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,130 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 535 shares during the period. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,996,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of COP. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the 4th 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. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its position in ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on COP. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.47.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 1.8 %

COP opened at $88.98 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $99.82 and a 200 day moving average of $104.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $86.81 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The company has a market cap of $113.21 billion, a PE ratio of 11.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,205. The trade was 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 corporate 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.