Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Buys 11,234 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 28.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 50,956 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,234 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $5,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. This trade represents a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP opened at $92.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $117.82 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.18. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $86.81 and a 1-year 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 for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on COP shares. 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. Raymond James downgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.47.

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.