S.A. Mason LLC Buys 5,190 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

S.A. Mason LLC raised its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 399.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,490 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. This trade represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on COP shares. Raymond James upped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $148.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.89.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP stock opened at $98.70 on Monday. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.59 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.65.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. ConocoPhillips’s quarterly revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.