Franklin Resources Inc. Has $1.36 Billion Position in ConocoPhillips $COP

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,390,243 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 925,407 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.16% of ConocoPhillips worth $1,361,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of COP. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 58.0% during the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Bfsg LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.54.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

NYSE:COP opened at $114.13 on Wednesday. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $79.88 and a 12-month high of $122.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $105.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.35 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 12.98%.The business’s revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $1,003,340.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,431.36. This represents a 20.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Timothy A. Leach sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.79, for a total transaction of $4,751,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 411,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,847,754.69. This represents a 8.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 549,208 shares of company stock valued at $52,070,430 over the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs added COP to its U.S. Conviction List, a high-profile institutional endorsement that can attract buyer interest and support the stock amid oil-market volatility. ConocoPhillips (COP) Favored at Goldman Amid the Middle East Crisis
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have raised price targets recently (e.g., BMO, Argus) and the company pays a healthy dividend—factors that underpin longer-term investor demand even if near-term volatility persists. COP quote & analyst notes on MarketBeat
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces note ConocoPhillips is shifting from growth to “cash harvesting” after the Marathon Oil integration—this could boost buybacks/dividends but raises questions about long‑term growth prospects and integration economics. Investors will be parsing whether the deal created value or simply bought growth. ConocoPhillips Is Shifting From Growth Mode to Cash Harvesting
• Negative Sentiment: Louisiana is reportedly nearing a deal with ConocoPhillips over coastal erosion—potential settlement costs, remediation obligations or reputational fallout could introduce legal/financial risk and weigh on the stock. Louisiana nears deal with ConocoPhillips over coastal erosion
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by senior executives and a director (Timothy Leach sold 40,000 shares; SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 8,500 shares) is drawing attention—large, disclosed sales can amplify near-term selling pressure or raise governance questions even when management retains substantial holdings. Timothy Leach insider sale Kelly Brunetti Rose insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Oil prices have been volatile today—after earlier strength linked to Middle East tensions, crude pulled back on strategic-reserve-related headlines. Lower oil trends typically weigh on E&P multiples and near-term revenue expectations. Oil Prices Fall On Reserve News

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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.