5,148 Shares in ConocoPhillips $COP Acquired by LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC

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

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 120,251,183 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $11,256,713,000 after acquiring an additional 408,304 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 93,886,457 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $9,760,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,712,703 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,360,060 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $4,527,230,000 after buying an additional 2,714,663 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 41,450,162 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,880,151,000 after buying an additional 2,350,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,038,675 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,407,770,000 after buying an additional 648,432 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP opened at $135.00 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.53. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $85.57 and a fifty-two week high of $135.87. The company has a market capitalization of $162.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.54.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $19.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.79 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 14.22%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 44.44%.

Key Headlines 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $150.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Truist Financial upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Argus increased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $136.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Capital One Financial decreased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $156.00 to $154.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.21.

ConocoPhillips Profile

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.