Boston Financial Mangement LLC Increases Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Boston Financial Mangement LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 31.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,469 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. This represents a 37.68 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on COP. Morgan Stanley began coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen began coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.56.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE COP opened at $102.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $117.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.48. 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 1.14.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 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.