Insider Selling: ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) EVP Sells 12,150 Shares of Stock

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total transaction of $1,536,246.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,836,161.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of COP opened at $126.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.29. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $95.70 and a 1 year high of $127.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.01. The firm has a market cap of $149.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.23.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. West Tower Group LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on COP shares. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $139.00 to $133.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $152.00 to $133.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.12.

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.