ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Bought by Valley National Advisers Inc.

Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 64.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,224 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COP. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $98.70 on Monday. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $101.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.65. The company has a market cap of $113.59 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 19.53% and a net margin of 17.29%. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 7.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on COP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen started coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Two 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $135.89.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

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

ConocoPhillips Company 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.