Members Trust Co Grows Stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Members Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 20.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,859 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the quarter. Members Trust Co’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cypress Capital Group lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,342 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 37,255 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,137 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,716,400. This trade represents a 37.68 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. This trade represents a 13.16 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of COP opened at $96.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $105.85. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. On average, research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.56.

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.