National Pension Service Buys 589,836 Shares of ConocoPhillips $COP

National Pension Service lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,168,859 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 589,836 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.25% of ConocoPhillips worth $284,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COP. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 49.3% in the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 801,426 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $83,969,000 after acquiring an additional 264,726 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 17.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 154,360 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $13,927,000 after purchasing an additional 22,827 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.4% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,395,546 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $304,716,000 after purchasing an additional 78,642 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,264,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 37,361 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,627 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director William H. Mcraven purchased 5,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the acquisition, the director owned 5,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $90.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $113.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.58. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $79.88 and a 12 month high of $115.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $91.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.98.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 15.26%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.84 dividend. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $129.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 13th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips to $113.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, October 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.54.

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.