Securian Asset Management Inc. Cuts Stake in ConocoPhillips $COP

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 8.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 60,316 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 5,685 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $5,705,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 97.2% during the second quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 6,861 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 3,381 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 138.7% in the 2nd quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 10,413 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 6,051 shares in the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. grew its stake in ConocoPhillips by 510.5% during the 2nd quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 29,285 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,628,000 after buying an additional 24,488 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 140,829 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $13,321,000 after buying an additional 15,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 154,360 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $13,927,000 after buying an additional 22,827 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 2.0%

COP stock opened at $97.19 on Wednesday. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $79.88 and a 52-week high of $106.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $120.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.75, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.54.

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

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. officials say Venezuela could supply 30–50 million barrels to the U.S. and the White House is meeting with oil executives — a catalyst for energy stocks because reopening Venezuelan production or obtaining barrels can support ConocoPhillips’ growth outlook and near‑term sentiment. Trump says US to get 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela at market price
• Positive Sentiment: The administration floated subsidizing U.S. oil companies to rebuild Venezuela’s energy infrastructure — that would lower capital risk and speed re‑entry economics for majors like COP if implemented. US may subsidize oil companies to rebuild Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, Trump says
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high call‑option volume on COP signals speculative or hedged bullish positioning by traders, adding short‑term upward pressure on the stock. Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses suggest ConocoPhillips could convert Venezuelan legal claims and Citgo auction proceeds into stakes and cash that materially boost long‑term production and liquidity — a large upside scenario for COP’s reserve base and future cash flow. ConocoPhillips: A Real Shot To Tap The Biggest Reserves Of Crude
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector momentum and technical breakout talk are lifting energy names broadly (XLE includes COP), which supports sentiment but is not company‑specific fundamental news. 3 Energy Plays to Watch as the Sector Reacts to New Developments
• Neutral Sentiment: Wolfe Research trimmed its COP price target (from $131 to $126) but kept an outperform rating — still constructive but slightly lowers consensus upside. Wolfe adjusts price target on ConocoPhillips to $126
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein cut its COP price target sharply (from $116 to $98), reducing implied upside and providing a near‑term valuation headwind for the shares. Sanford C. Bernstein Has Lowered Expectations for ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that the administration did not consult major oil firms before recent Venezuela actions create execution and policy uncertainty — increasing geopolitical/regulatory risk around any U.S. company re‑entry into Venezuela. Trump administration has not consulted US oil majors about Venezuela, oil execs say

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COP has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wolfe Research reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $131.00 to $126.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $113.19.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total transaction of $46,315,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 325,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,152,410. The trade was a 60.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director William H. Mcraven purchased 5,768 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.68 per share, with a total value of $499,970.24. Following the transaction, the director 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.24% 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.