Midwest Financial Group LLC Has $301,000 Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Midwest Financial Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,039 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 296 shares during the quarter. Midwest Financial Group LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 80.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on COP. Mizuho upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $148.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $135.89.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP stock opened at $103.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $118.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.31, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.19. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $103.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.22.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. ConocoPhillips’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 7.65 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given 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 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,205. This trade represents a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,716,400. This trade represents a 37.68 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by 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.