Towneley Capital Management Inc DE Makes New Investment in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Towneley Capital Management Inc DE purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,568 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.72.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

ConocoPhillips stock opened at $99.39 on Tuesday. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $94.23 and a fifty-two week high of $135.18. The stock has a market cap of $114.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $101.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.11.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 40.05%.

ConocoPhillips 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.