Peterson Wealth Services Has $4.12 Million Stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Peterson Wealth Services lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 20.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,496 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,983 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips accounts for 1.8% of Peterson Wealth Services’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $4,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $28,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 63.1% during the third quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 287 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth $31,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total transaction of $502,781.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,399.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other ConocoPhillips news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total value of $502,781.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,399.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 12,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,836,161.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 700,775 shares of company stock valued at $87,615,169. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $152.00 to $133.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Scotiabank upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 price objective for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $142.00.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP traded down $0.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $127.98. 580,520 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,410,835. The company’s 50-day moving average is $119.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.01. The company has a market cap of $150.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $95.70 and a 12-month high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $15.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 18.71%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. Research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 25.61%.

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.