CWA Asset Management Group LLC Increases Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,498 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $347,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $131.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank cut their price target on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,716,400. This represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

COP stock opened at $101.48 on Thursday. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.18. The firm has a market cap of $116.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The company’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 37.10%.

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.