R Squared Ltd Makes New $552,000 Investment in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,570 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $552,000. ConocoPhillips comprises about 0.5% of R Squared Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of COP. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 310.1% in the fourth quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 365 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 214.5% during the 4th quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 15,149 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 10,332 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,914 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Investment Group lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 167.0% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Investment Group now owns 14,964 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 9,359 shares during the period. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $101.46 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $102.76 and its 200 day moving average is $106.98. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.18. The stock has a market cap of $116.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.10%.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In related news, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,205. The trade was 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on COP shares. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.89.

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.