Lincoln Capital LLC Lowers Stock Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Lincoln Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,209 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 214 shares during the quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In related news, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,716,400. This trade represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of COP opened at $105.76 on Monday. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $103.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.43. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. ConocoPhillips’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on COP. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $136.00.

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.