Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Stock Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,601 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,011 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $2,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 66,928,793 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $7,046,263,000 after acquiring an additional 10,663,093 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 31,161,897 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $3,280,725,000 after acquiring an additional 5,240,016 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,733,928 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,601,639,000 after acquiring an additional 924,289 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 13,780,782 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,366,640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,324,771 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,557,351 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,469,163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,506,599 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:COP opened at $101.33 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $99.19 and its 200 day moving average is $103.54. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $86.81 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. On average, research analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on COP shares. TD Cowen initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.05.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.