Susquehanna Boosts ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Price Target to $154.00

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) had its target price hoisted by Susquehanna from $133.00 to $154.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a positive rating on the energy producer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on COP. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a neutral rating and set a $139.00 price objective (up from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $143.24.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $129.27 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.71 and a 200-day moving average of $117.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $95.70 and a 12 month high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 9.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.61%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $853,669.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total value of $1,536,246.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,836,161.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total transaction of $76,427,370.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,780 shares in the company, valued at $853,669.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth $31,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.