Cerity Partners LLC Raises Stake in ConocoPhillips $COP

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 28.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 438,282 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 97,585 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $41,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 2,370 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 2,570 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 8,018 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Chesapeake Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,160 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $670,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COP shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $149.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 1st. Mizuho upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.48.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 2.6%

NYSE COP opened at $119.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $145.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.11. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $85.57 and a fifty-two week high of $135.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $121.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $15.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 12.10%.ConocoPhillips’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 10.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 57.05%.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Crude-oil sentiment improved as Middle East supply disruptions and tight inventory conditions kept a floor under oil prices, benefiting large U.S. exploration and production names like ConocoPhillips. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted ConocoPhillips as an energy name positioned to navigate industry pressures, reinforcing the view that COP is relatively well placed versus peers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broader energy-sector strength has helped improve sentiment toward oil stocks, with the sector outperforming the market this year and drawing renewed investor attention to names like COP. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary noted that ConocoPhillips did not fall as much as oil prices during a prior pullback, suggesting the stock may be trading more resiliently than crude itself, but without a major company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: There was also a backdrop of mixed investor positioning, including significant institutional trimming in recent quarters, which can weigh on sentiment even as near-term oil prices improve. Article Title

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total transaction of $888,657.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,488.70. This represents a 56.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 2,654 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.68, for a total value of $317,630.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 5,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,747.84. This trade represents a 31.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 671,869 shares of company stock worth $85,857,406. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

ConocoPhillips Company 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.