Blue Trust Inc. Grows Stake in ConocoPhillips $COP

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,754 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,863,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 341.5% during the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the first quarter valued at $35,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 418.6% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 363 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of COP opened at $87.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $109.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $79.88 and a 1 year high of $115.38. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.59.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The energy producer reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $14.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.39 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 15.26% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.98 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Capital One Financial raised their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.23.

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.