Insider Selling: ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) EVP Sells 12,150 Shares of Stock

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $1,836,161.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $126.02. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,203,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,827,312. The stock has a market cap of $148.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.95. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $95.60 and a one year high of $127.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.43.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 22.08%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 19th were given a $0.78 dividend. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on COP shares. Johnson Rice lowered ConocoPhillips from an “accumulate” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 14th. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective (up from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday. UBS Group raised their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Raymond James cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $139.00 to $133.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.12.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norris Perne & French LLP MI grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 1.9% during the third quarter. Norris Perne & French LLP MI now owns 4,364 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.3% in the third quarter. Sloy Dahl & Holst LLC now owns 2,629 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 35.9% in the third quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. CRA Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.9% in the third quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 4,702 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, KLCM Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 2.8% during the third quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 3,305 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.