Tweedy Browne Co LLC Reduces Stock Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Tweedy Browne Co LLC decreased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,007 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 2,711 shares during the quarter. Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $2,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 42.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 103,553 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $10,902,000 after acquiring an additional 31,011 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its position in ConocoPhillips by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,166 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,901,000 after purchasing an additional 7,174 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 8,855 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,474,270 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $155,211,000 after purchasing an additional 32,948 shares during the period. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 186,535 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $18,499,000 after purchasing an additional 22,378 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $105.04 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.29. The firm has a market cap of $133.65 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $86.81 and a 12-month high of $135.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 40.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on COP. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $131.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James lowered ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.95.

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.