ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $137.47.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COP. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, September 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 55,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.11, for a total value of $6,000,105.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 455,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,288,321.99. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COP. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 35.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,192,580 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,097,473,000 after purchasing an additional 8,479,963 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 9.6% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,252,822 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,705,059,000 after buying an additional 1,856,085 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 10,634.2% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,205,666 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $126,933,000 after buying an additional 1,194,434 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 46.0% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,219,929 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $409,833,000 after buying an additional 1,015,158 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 34.7% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,762,431 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $351,602,000 after buying an additional 712,062 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

NYSE:COP opened at $107.84 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $101.29 and a one year high of $135.18. The stock has a market cap of $125.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $107.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 20.81% and a net margin of 18.18%. ConocoPhillips’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is currently 25.86%.

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.