QRG Capital Management Inc. Has $15.88 Million Holdings in ConocoPhillips $COP

QRG Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 167,908 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 54,678 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $15,882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 21,709 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. First National Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.6% in the third quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 25,090 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 12.6% in the third quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 30,326 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,869,000 after purchasing an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. now owns 3,839 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on COP shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $109.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.83.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE COP opened at $98.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $121.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $92.65 and a 200-day moving average of $92.90. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $79.88 and a 52-week high of $106.20.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. ConocoPhillips’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 47.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total value of $46,315,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 325,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,152,410. This represents a 60.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William H. Mcraven acquired 5,768 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Confirmed gas discovery in Australia’s Otway Basin adds to reserves and strengthens ConocoPhillips’ natural?gas growth optionality — supports longer?term production and value of downstream/ LNG optionality. ConocoPhillips Confirms Second Gas Discovery in Australia’s Otway Basin ConocoPhillips Australia discovers additional gas in Otway basin Charlemont Trend
• Neutral Sentiment: International oil companies are lobbying for Venezuelan law changes to allow freer exports of oil they produce — could expand export volumes for majors if enacted, but outcomes and timing remain uncertain for ConocoPhillips. International oil companies push for quick reforms in Venezuela to give them control over oil exports
• Neutral Sentiment: Wolfe Research trimmed its price target (126?122) but kept an outperform rating — a modest sign of caution but still indicates upside versus the current price. Wolfe adjusts price target on ConocoPhillips to $122 from $126, maintains outperform rating
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated an underperform stance (framed as a “sell equivalent”), citing relatively high oil breakevens for ConocoPhillips and preferring other names — this analyst view is pressuring sentiment. ConocoPhillips cut to sell equivalent at BofA on high oil breakeven; Ovintiv top oil pick
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan and other outlets published lower price targets (JPMorgan to $98; reports of a $6 reduction elsewhere), and MarketWatch highlighted COP’s recent underperformance vs. peers — multiple PT cuts and comparative underperformance are amplifying downside pressure. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Price Target to $98.00 ConocoPhillips (COP) Price Target Lowered by $6 ConocoPhillips stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentators continue to favor select midstream/refining/shipping names over majors in the near term, signaling rotation risk for large oil producers like COP even if fundamentals remain intact. Don’t Trade the Venezuela Headlines. Why We’re Skipping Oil Majors to Zero In on These Energy Stocks Instead.

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.