ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Sold by First County Bank CT

First County Bank CT cut its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,111 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 972 shares during the period. First County Bank CT’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 313 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:COP traded up $1.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $101.36. The stock had a trading volume of 2,913,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,883,515. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $116.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.19. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.04.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 19.53% and a net margin of 17.29%. The business’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 7.77 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 37.10%.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, September 13th. Susquehanna increased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $136.71.

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.