Wright Investors Service Inc. Sells 836 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Wright Investors Service Inc. trimmed its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,523 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 836 shares during the period. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 35,496 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $4,120,000 after acquiring an additional 5,983 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,033 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $932,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 130,355 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $15,130,000 after acquiring an additional 2,503 shares during the period. Guidance Capital Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 6,229 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $732,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the period. Finally, Sfmg LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 47,477 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $5,511,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ConocoPhillips news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total value of $953,070.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Dominic E. Macklon sold 23,372 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.17, for a total transaction of $2,621,637.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total value of $953,070.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE COP traded down $0.07 on Thursday, reaching $128.26. The company had a trading volume of 882,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,416,125. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $119.92 and its 200-day moving average is $117.01. The stock has a market cap of $150.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $95.70 and a 52 week high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 18.71%. The business had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 25.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $152.00 to $133.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective (up previously from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.00.

About ConocoPhillips

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.