Vicus Capital Makes New Investment in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Vicus Capital acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,163 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on COP. Susquehanna raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Raymond James cut ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.56.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 0.5 %

ConocoPhillips stock opened at $96.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $110.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.85. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. Equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 40.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Company 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.