ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Bought by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 200.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,734 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,158 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $3,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 42.7% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 103,553 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $10,902,000 after purchasing an additional 31,011 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,166 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,901,000 after acquiring an additional 7,174 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 8,855 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $878,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 23.6% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 71,097 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $7,488,000 after acquiring an additional 13,595 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.9% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,489,514 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $262,094,000 after acquiring an additional 46,621 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $90.70 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $86.81 and a one year high of $135.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.40 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $99.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.38.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 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%. As a group, analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 40.05%.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on COP. Morgan Stanley began coverage on ConocoPhillips in a report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on 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 ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $120.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on ConocoPhillips in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Raymond James lowered ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $157.00 to $124.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.47.

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.