Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Increases Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,009 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 6,480 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $7,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COP. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Susquehanna raised their price target on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $95.87 per share, with a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were 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 $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $98.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $113.18 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.28.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. Analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.