ConocoPhillips $COP Position Increased by Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY raised its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 986.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 611,243 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 555,000 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips makes up approximately 1.8% of Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $57,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 136.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 315 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 249.5% in the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 325 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter worth $38,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director William H. Mcraven purchased 5,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $86.68 per share, with a total value of $499,970.24. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total value of $46,315,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 325,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,152,410. This represents a 60.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of COP opened at $97.44 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $91.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $79.88 and a 12-month high of $106.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.32.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. The firm had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on COP shares. Roth Capital reduced their price target on ConocoPhillips from $108.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, October 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Capital One Financial raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $112.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.96.

More ConocoPhillips News

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips’ CEO Ryan Lance will attend the White House meeting on Venezuela, putting COP in direct discussions about potential access to Venezuelan oil assets and future investment opportunities. Reuters: ConocoPhillips says CEO will attend White House meeting
• Positive Sentiment: President Trump stated oil companies would spend roughly $100 billion to rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector and indicated the U.S. would decide which firms can operate there — a large potential investment pool for participating majors like COP. Trump: Oil companies will spend $100 billion in Venezuela
• Neutral Sentiment: U.S. energy officials say ConocoPhillips and peers are evaluating what role they could play in Venezuela; this is an exploratory phase with no guarantees of contracts or timing. Financial Post: ConocoPhillips and Exxon look at Venezuela role
• Neutral Sentiment: U.S. Treasury commentary suggests the largest oil companies will likely move more cautiously into Venezuela than independents, implying COP may be slower to deploy capital despite big potential opportunities. Reuters: Bessent says largest oil companies likely move slower
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are trimming targets on COP: Bernstein cut its price target to $98 (from $116), signaling lowered near-term expectations despite keeping an Outperform rating. InsiderMonkey: Bernstein trims price target on ConocoPhillips
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research also lowered its price target, reflecting analyst caution that may pressure the stock until clarity on cash flows or clear commitments emerge. AmericanBankingNews: Wolfe Research Cuts ConocoPhillips Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that U.S. oil companies want “serious guarantees” from Washington before making large Venezuelan investments highlight legal/regulatory risk that could delay or limit COP’s participation. Reuters: US oil companies say they need guarantees to invest in Venezuela

ConocoPhillips Profile

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.