ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Bought by Hills Bank & Trust Co

Hills Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 9.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,970 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 69.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 150.0% in the first quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 250 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded ConocoPhillips from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 55,500 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 455,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,288,321.99. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP opened at $107.84 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $101.29 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $107.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.02. The company has a market cap of $125.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.21.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.18% and a return on equity of 20.81%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.86%.

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.