ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s 3rd Largest Position

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,383 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips accounts for approximately 2.7% of Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $6,568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 44.2% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 10,042 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 3,080 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 59.8% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 7,270 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $925,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 70,612 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $8,988,000 after buying an additional 4,731 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the first quarter worth $385,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 16.0% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 283,871 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $36,131,000 after acquiring an additional 39,237 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 55,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.11, for a total transaction of $6,000,105.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 455,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,288,321.99. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 1.6 %

ConocoPhillips stock opened at $107.84 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $101.29 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $107.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $125.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.21.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.18% and a return on equity of 20.81%. ConocoPhillips’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is currently 25.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on COP. Mizuho raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $126.00 price objective (down previously from $139.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, September 13th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.47.

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.