ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $114.7692.

COP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Johnson Rice downgraded ConocoPhillips from an “accumulate” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $108.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, October 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Melius started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $117.00 price objective on the stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $93.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $115.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.32. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $79.88 and a 12 month high of $106.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $89.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.80.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 14.25%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.52%.

Insider Activity

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director William H. Mcraven acquired 5,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,768 shares in the company, valued at $499,970.24. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ConocoPhillips

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COP. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 18.2% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 45,645,397 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $4,318,239,000 after purchasing an additional 7,037,873 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 1st quarter valued at about $658,981,000. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 66.0% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 7,883,455 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $707,461,000 after buying an additional 3,135,315 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 190.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,664,408 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $484,539,000 after buying an additional 3,058,505 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in ConocoPhillips by 31.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 10,778,664 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $966,267,000 after acquiring an additional 2,575,803 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

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.