Avestar Capital LLC Has $1.21 Million Stock Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Avestar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,223 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,618 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MTM Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,815 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 14,804 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,468,000 after buying an additional 1,417 shares in the last quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 15,902 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,577,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Finally, Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 55,972 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $5,551,000 after acquiring an additional 6,530 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. This trade represents a 37.68 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $98.42 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.16. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The firm has a market cap of $113.27 billion, a PE ratio of 12.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. On average, research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 40.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.56.

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.