Winch Advisory Services LLC Buys 199 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,412 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $140,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cypress Capital Group raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,790 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,978,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,125 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. MRP Capital Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.3% during the second quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 2,430 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.2% during the second quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,751 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.3% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP opened at $105.45 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $104.21 and a 200-day moving average of $107.56. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $121.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.19.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 shares were bought at an average price of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on COP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group lowered their price target 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. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.65.

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.