GWN Securities Inc. Invests $472,000 in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,634 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $472,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on COP. Mizuho upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Raymond James cut ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, December 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.05.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP opened at $99.10 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $99.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.75. 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. The firm has a market cap of $126.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

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

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.