Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Acquires 923 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,088 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips makes up 0.6% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $9,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. HTLF Bank bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at about $945,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 19,006 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,206,000 after purchasing an additional 3,306 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,561 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 5,054 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 150,955 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $17,521,000 after purchasing an additional 9,629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AIA Group Ltd grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 43.3% in the 4th quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 25,898 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,006,000 after buying an additional 7,824 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP traded up $1.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $129.42. The stock had a trading volume of 1,688,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,403,376. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $120.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.09. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $95.70 and a fifty-two week high of $135.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.24.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ConocoPhillips news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total transaction of $502,781.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $293,399.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on COP shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $152.00 to $133.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective (up previously from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $142.00.

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.