LexAurum Advisors LLC Grows Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

LexAurum Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,250 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COP. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $101.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.30. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $94.23 and a 52-week high of $135.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $103.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.20.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.65 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 37.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on COP shares. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, December 6th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $135.89.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In related news, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,061,205. This trade represents a 13.16 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.