West Family Investments Inc. Makes New Investment in ConocoPhillips $COP

West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,891 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 151.0% during the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 241 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips News Roundup

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 COP shares. Mizuho cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $150.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen raised ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $136.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.21.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $135.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $162.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $114.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $85.57 and a twelve month high of $135.87.

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

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors 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 (DPR) is currently 44.44%.

About ConocoPhillips

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.