ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Sold by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,775 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 135 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 19.2% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,090 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 980 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 19.8% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 12,153 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,279,000 after acquiring an additional 2,007 shares during the last quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 11,819 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY now owns 26,129 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,751,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 9,512 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, September 13th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $126.00 price target (down previously from $139.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Mizuho upped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.47.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $107.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $125.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.19. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $101.29 and a one year high of $135.18. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $107.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.90.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. ConocoPhillips’s revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 37.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 55,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.11, for a total value of $6,000,105.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 455,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,288,321.99. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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.