LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in ConocoPhillips $COP

LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,148 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $535,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COP. Mystic Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the second quarter worth $940,000. Portfolio Design Labs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,398,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter worth $410,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter worth $1,102,000. Finally, PCM Encore LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,222,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 3.4%

ConocoPhillips stock opened at $135.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $162.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.11. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $85.57 and a 12 month high of $135.87. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $114.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.34. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The firm had revenue of $19.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.42 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 32.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.44%.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rising crude prices are supporting ConocoPhillips’ expected cash flow and earnings, providing the clearest near-term catalyst for the stock. ConocoPhillips gains as higher oil prices add to post-earnings momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.24 per share exceeded expectations, while $7.2 billion in operating cash flow, doubled share repurchases and a $0.84 quarterly dividend reinforced the company’s capital-return appeal. Full-year guidance was reaffirmed.
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target to $153 from $136 and maintained a Buy rating. The broader analyst consensus remains constructive, with a reported median target of $146 and no recent sell ratings. Argus raises ConocoPhillips price target
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors continue to cite ConocoPhillips’ low-cost inventory, LNG-related growth and potential cash-flow catalysts as support for its longer-term outlook. ConocoPhillips has low-cost inventory and a major cash flow catalyst ahead
• Neutral Sentiment: Aker BP’s agreement to acquire Apache and ConocoPhillips stakes offshore Norway could streamline the portfolio, although the immediate financial effect was not specified. Aker BP to buy Apache and ConocoPhillips stakes offshore Norway
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are tempering the bullish outlook: the stock trades near its 52-week high, while investors are already paying a premium for earnings momentum and LNG growth. Is ConocoPhillips stock a buy as growth meets a premium valuation?
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders have reported 12 open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months, including substantial sales by senior executives. This may signal caution, although insider transactions can reflect compensation or diversification rather than a fundamental view.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $130.00 price target on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $138.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Roth Capital raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $124.00 to $130.00 in a report on Monday, June 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.21.

About ConocoPhillips

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.