Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 83,156 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 1,122 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $8,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COP. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 3.1% in the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,021,324 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $107,525,000 after acquiring an additional 30,772 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 8.7% during the third quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,807 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 3.3% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 3,132 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 2.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,096,450 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $747,114,000 after purchasing an additional 153,944 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 2.8% during the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 32,985 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,681,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP stock opened at $102.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $99.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.45. The firm has a market cap of $129.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.10, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $86.81 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.29.

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

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on COP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $127.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Truist Financial upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.05.

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.