Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Purchases 1,033 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 39.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,644 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares during the quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 23,712,617 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,752,325,000 after acquiring an additional 4,726,952 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 512.8% during the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 3,737,026 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $433,757,000 after purchasing an additional 3,127,165 shares in the last quarter. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $310,102,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 45,426.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,429,085 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $171,204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,028,061 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,440,962,000 after buying an additional 1,152,907 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at $853,669.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the firm’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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total transaction of $76,427,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays began coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price target (up previously from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.65.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

COP stock traded down $4.60 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $125.62. The stock had a trading volume of 6,288,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,343,554. The firm has a market cap of $147.78 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $123.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.67. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $95.70 and a 52 week high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 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 analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 9.57 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 25.61%.

About ConocoPhillips

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.