ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nineteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $114.5385.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Melius Research initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $117.00 price target on the stock. Capital One Financial upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $95.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.32. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $79.88 and a one year high of $106.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.52%.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director William H. Mcraven purchased 5,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,970.24. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of ConocoPhillips

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 341.5% during the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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.