James Investment Research Inc. Sells 1,155 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

James Investment Research Inc. lessened its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,620 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 1,155 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $855,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Cypress Capital Group raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 0.5% during the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,790 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,978,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,342 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 3.3% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 37,255 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 2.0% in the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,137 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James lowered ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Mizuho raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.56.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $96.39 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $110.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.73.

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

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 40.05%.

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.