Vantus Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in ConocoPhillips $COP

Vantus Wealth LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,930 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $28,000. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the second quarter worth $33,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More ConocoPhillips News

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have recently raised their price targets on ConocoPhillips, including Barclays and Raymond James, while maintaining bullish or positive ratings, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in the company’s valuation and long-term earnings potential. Barclays Raises PT on ConocoPhillips (COP) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips was highlighted by hedge-fund and market-screening articles as one of the better oil and gas names to own, with analysts pointing to its deep resource base and LNG portfolio as key strengths. ConocoPhillips (COP) – Among the 14 Best Oil and Gas Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
• Positive Sentiment: Alaska lease-sale news is supportive for ConocoPhillips because the company was among the record bidders, and the expected boost in Alaskan oil production could improve future upstream opportunities for the industry. Alaskan frontier oil boom bodes well for energy industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary says ConocoPhillips has underperformed the Nasdaq over the past year, but this was balanced by the fact that analysts remain moderately optimistic and maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” view. Is ConocoPhillips Stock Underperforming the Nasdaq?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Capital One Financial cut their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $156.00 to $154.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.48.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $115.42 on Tuesday. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $85.23 and a 52 week high of $135.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $140.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.11. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $108.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The business had revenue of $15.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ConocoPhillips news, SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 8,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $1,003,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,431.36. This trade represents a 20.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.26, for a total transaction of $64,495,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $869,822.10. The trade was a 98.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 734,891 shares of company stock worth $93,345,692. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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.