Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COPGet Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 68,293 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 339% compared to the typical daily volume of 15,545 call options.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE:COP traded up $2.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $126.67. 4,214,118 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,479,042. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $85.57 and a twelve month high of $135.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $113.69 and a 200 day moving average of $116.53. The stock has a market cap of $152.17 billion, a PE ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COPGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $19.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.79 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The company’s revenue was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 10.05 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in COP. Royal Capital Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter worth $244,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter valued at about $716,151,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter valued at about $188,807,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter worth approximately $158,000. Finally, Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter worth approximately $841,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research cut ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.68.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ConocoPhillips

About ConocoPhillips

(Get Free Report)

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets.

The company’s activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world.

Further Reading

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