ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $133.04.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank increased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $118.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Mizuho increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $129.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In related news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 14,522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.36, for a total value of $1,733,345.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,478,751.04. This represents a 53.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 34,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.68, for a total value of $4,128,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 17,469 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,689.92. This trade represents a 66.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 734,891 shares of company stock valued at $93,345,692 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Patten Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 5,447 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. IFC Advisors LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 20,182 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,664,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21,144 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,791,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 16,062 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $117.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $143.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $84.28 and a 12-month high of $135.87. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.73.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $15.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 12.10%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 57.05%.

About ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets.

The company’s activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world.