ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Sold by Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,934 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $573,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Investment Counsel Inc acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $228,000. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 9,463 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,563,044 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $181,422,000 after purchasing an additional 23,572 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at $2,262,000. Finally, PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at $233,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $129.33 on Tuesday. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $95.70 and a fifty-two week high of $135.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $120.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $152.15 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.24.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 18.71%. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on COP shares. Raymond James reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Susquehanna increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $143.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ConocoPhillips news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total transaction of $1,536,246.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,836,161.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total value of $1,536,246.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,836,161.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.