ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Acquired by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 26.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 43,384 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,002 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $4,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

NYSE COP opened at $96.39 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $100.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.69. The stock has a market cap of $110.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $94.23 and a 52 week high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. Analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.05%.

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.