Hudock Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Hudock Inc. reduced its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,055 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 359 shares during the period. Hudock Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 insiders.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $98.42 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. 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. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.97. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. As a group, equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on COP. Raymond James lowered shares of ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. 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 report on Thursday, December 5th. Mizuho raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.56.

ConocoPhillips Company 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.