LGT Group Foundation Has $40.34 Million Stock Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

LGT Group Foundation lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 167.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 346,240 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 216,829 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $40,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Investment Counsel Inc bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $228,000. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 9,463 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,563,044 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $181,422,000 after purchasing an additional 23,572 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $2,262,000. Finally, PFG Investments LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $233,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.65.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE COP traded down $1.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $122.55. The company had a trading volume of 2,086,019 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,302,662. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $95.70 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $144.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.73, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.72.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 25.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,836,161.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.44, for a total transaction of $1,536,246.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,836,161.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total transaction of $502,781.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,399.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.