Yousif Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 167,791 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 21,693 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $19,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter worth about $1,359,000. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 13,737 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,594,000 after buying an additional 6,690 shares during the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 12,502 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,451,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 182,835 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $21,222,000 after acquiring an additional 15,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 9,136 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,060,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 target price (up previously from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $173.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.24.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $853,669.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total value of $953,070.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE COP traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $129.83. 3,773,534 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,397,009. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $152.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.41. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $95.70 and a 52-week high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.61%.

ConocoPhillips 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.