ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eighteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $115.3333.

COP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, October 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Melius Research initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $117.00 price target for the company. Mizuho cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:COP opened at $89.64 on Wednesday. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $79.88 and a 52 week high of $115.38. The stock has a market cap of $110.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 15.26% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The firm had revenue of $15.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 47.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director William H. Mcraven bought 5,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.68 per share, with a total value of $499,970.24. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 5,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ConocoPhillips

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 44.7% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 112,764 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $11,843,000 after buying an additional 34,853 shares during the period. Florida Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,519 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 418.6% in the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 31,452 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,303,000 after purchasing an additional 25,387 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 26,544 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,788,000 after purchasing an additional 1,371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 326.8% during the first quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 364,734 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 279,272 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

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.