ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $143.24.

Several research firms have commented on COP. Argus upgraded ConocoPhillips to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $154.00 to $147.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $159.00 price objective (up previously from $155.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on ConocoPhillips from $151.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP opened at $102.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $110.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.73. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $101.29 and a 1-year high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.96 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.18% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 55,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.11, for a total transaction of $6,000,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 455,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,288,321.99. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 35.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,192,580 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $4,097,473,000 after purchasing an additional 8,479,963 shares during the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 512.8% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 3,127,165 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 9.6% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 21,252,822 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,705,059,000 after acquiring an additional 1,856,085 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 46.0% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,219,929 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $409,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015,158 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 5.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,986,970 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,907,542,000 after acquiring an additional 826,529 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Company 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.