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

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 28.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 50,956 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,234 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $5,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COP. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in 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. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% in 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. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. This trade 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

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reduced their target price on ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Raymond James cut ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.47.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE COP opened at $92.60 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.18. The firm has a market cap of $117.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89, a PEG 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.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued 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 dividend yield of 3.37%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

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.