Bill Few Associates Inc. Makes New $329,000 Investment in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Bill Few Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,318 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COP. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $103.02 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $118.57 billion, a PE ratio of 12.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.22.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 19.53% and a net margin of 17.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.10%.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director R A. Walker purchased 10,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on COP shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $136.00.

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.