Persium Advisors LLC Invests $1.02 Million in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Persium Advisors LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 10,267 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,018,000. ConocoPhillips accounts for approximately 1.0% of Persium Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in COP. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,986 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 13,403 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,329,000 after buying an additional 675 shares during the period. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,242 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 18,756 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,912,000 after acquiring an additional 2,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 7,818 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $775,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:COP traded up $2.21 during trading on Monday, hitting $104.13. 5,223,934 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,552,227. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a market capitalization of $119.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.19. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. The firm 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 7.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.76.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. This represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.