ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $143.65.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut ConocoPhillips from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $147.00 to $132.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, June 14th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $159.00 price target (up from $155.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $151.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $111.40 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $111.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.94. The stock has a market cap of $130.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.19. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $102.27 and a one year high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.02. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.18% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The business had revenue of $14.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 55,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.11, for a total value of $6,000,105.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 455,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,288,321.99. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth $31,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 96.0% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 247 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 150.0% in the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 250 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ConocoPhillips

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.