ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Stock Rating Upgraded by Freedom Capital

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was upgraded by analysts at Freedom Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $130.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Argus upped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.28.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

Shares of COP stock opened at $125.89 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $151.24 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.11. ConocoPhillips has a 12 month low of $85.57 and a 12 month high of $135.87.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $19.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.79 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 32.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 120,251,183 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $11,256,713,000 after purchasing an additional 408,304 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 3.0% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 93,886,457 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $9,760,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,712,703 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,360,060 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,527,230,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714,663 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 41,450,162 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $3,880,151,000 after buying an additional 2,350,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,038,675 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,407,770,000 after buying an additional 648,432 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target to $161 from $155 and upgraded COP to “positive,” implying significant upside from the referenced share price. The upgrade adds to a generally constructive analyst view of the stock. Benzinga analyst note
• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips exceeded second-quarter expectations, reporting adjusted earnings of $3.24 per share versus the $2.90 consensus and revenue of $19.52 billion, up 32.4% year over year. Cash from operations reached $7.2 billion. COP Q2 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns increased: COP doubled second-quarter share repurchases and raised total shareholder distributions to $3 billion, while maintaining its plan to return 45% of 2026 cash from operations. Management also reaffirmed full-year guidance. ConocoPhillips stock analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Growth prospects remain supportive, including expected third-quarter production of 2.29 million–2.32 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, new LNG offtake agreements and potential benefits from portfolio changes and Alaska development.
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist raised its target to $130 from $115 but retained a “hold” rating, signaling improved valuation support without a strong conviction to buy. Truist analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Ryan Lance will retire on September 1, with CFO Andy O’Brien succeeding him. The transition brings continuity but leaves O’Brien responsible for delivering a targeted $7 billion in free cash flow by 2029 and managing major Alaska project costs. Reuters CEO transition report
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional trading data are mixed to bearish: insiders reported sales but no purchases over the past six months, while several large investors reduced their positions. These signals may temper enthusiasm despite the strong operating results.
• Negative Sentiment: Political pressure could create a risk to future cash returns. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called on oil companies including COP to return alleged windfall profits to consumers amid geopolitical fuel-price concerns. Political pressure on oil companies

About ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets.

The company’s activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world.