Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 105,573 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,631,281 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 105,573 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.14% of ConocoPhillips worth $161,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COP. Cypress Capital Group lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,790 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,978,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,342 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 37,255 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,695,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 8,640 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $857,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Raymond James lowered ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.05.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

COP opened at $99.10 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $99.22 and its 200-day moving average is $103.87. The stock has a market cap of $126.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $86.81 and a twelve month high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 40.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 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.