Bailard Inc. Buys 3,745 Shares of ConocoPhillips $COP

Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 2.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 192,766 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,745 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $17,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COP. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 341.5% in the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the first quarter worth $31,000. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 136.8% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 315 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 249.5% in the 2nd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 325 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on COP. UBS Group decreased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $114.54.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP stock opened at $90.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $113.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $91.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.98. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $79.88 and a one year high of $115.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $15.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 15.26%.ConocoPhillips’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. 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. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 47.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William H. Mcraven purchased 5,768 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 5,768 shares in the company, valued at $499,970.24. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.