248,409 Shares in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Purchased by Madison Investment Advisors LLC

Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 248,409 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $24,635,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,716,400. This represents 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 owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James lowered ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.47.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $97.64 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $99.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.03. The company has a market cap of $124.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. On average, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.