Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 11,122 ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 11,122 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,152,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in COP. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 97,756.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,354,810,556 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $140,371,922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,353,426,064 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in ConocoPhillips by 98,832.5% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,584,373 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,012,956,000 after buying an additional 8,575,696 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,647,723 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,964,432,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497,750 shares in the last quarter. Cowa LLC raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6,475.2% in the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 2,375,224 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,383,000 after acquiring an additional 2,339,100 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 794.6% during the 1st quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,313,596 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $229,532,000 after acquiring an additional 2,054,974 shares in the last quarter. 80.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP opened at $115.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $120.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.87. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $91.53 and a fifty-two week high of $135.68. The firm has a market cap of $137.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.28.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 13th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ConocoPhillips news, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 30,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.83, for a total value of $3,813,964.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $735,178.71. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other ConocoPhillips news, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 30,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.83, for a total transaction of $3,813,964.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $735,178.71. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 569,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total transaction of $69,546,516.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 18,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,221,360.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 602,049 shares of company stock valued at $73,591,956. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on COP shares. Raymond James cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $142.00 to $138.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $145.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.16.

ConocoPhillips Company 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 and internationally. The company's portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; various LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects.