ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $143.29.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on COP shares. Roth Capital upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $124.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $130.00 price target on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, SVP Andrew Lundquist sold 9,487 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.15, for a total transaction of $1,282,168.05. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,296,493.95. The trade was a 49.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in COP. Patten Group Inc. lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 5,447 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. IFC Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 20,182 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,664,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 1,006 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.4% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21,144 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,791,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 0.6% during the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 16,062 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $2,120,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips signed a 20-year agreement to purchase 1 million tons of LNG annually from Venture Global beginning in 2030. The deal expands COP’s long-term natural-gas exposure and could strengthen future cash-flow visibility, although the benefits are several years away. ConocoPhillips Could Be 11% Undervalued Following New 20 Year LNG Deal
• Positive Sentiment: COP is reportedly reviewing the sale of its Norway business and the UK Teesside asset for approximately $7 billion. A transaction could improve capital flexibility, simplify the portfolio and potentially support shareholder returns. ConocoPhillips Reviews Norway Business and UK Teesside Asset Divestment
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho reiterated a Buy rating and set a $146 NAV-based price target, citing near-term earnings strength and longer-term LNG-driven cash-flow potential. The target implies meaningful upside from the stock’s recent level. Mizuho Reiterates Buy on ConocoPhillips With $146 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips’ chairman said the oil-price floor could rise toward $70 per barrel, a constructive view for upstream producers such as COP if sustained. Oil Price Floor Likely Rising to $70 per Barrel
• Neutral Sentiment: Research reports comparing COP with Cactus and Calumet focus on relative valuation and sector performance rather than announcing a new fundamental development. COP’s strong year-to-date performance may limit the immediate impact of these reports.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said greater political stability and fair fiscal terms would be needed to attract investors back to Venezuela and Russia, highlighting potential longer-term opportunities but no immediate earnings catalyst. Stability and Fair Fiscal Terms Needed for Investors to Return

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $129.85 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $85.57 and a 12-month high of $141.62. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $129.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.24.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.34. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The company had revenue of $19.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 44.44%.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is an independent exploration and production company engaged in finding, developing and producing crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids and liquefied natural gas. Unlike integrated energy companies, ConocoPhillips focuses primarily on upstream activities rather than refining and retail fuel operations.

The company has a diversified portfolio of assets in major producing regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Norway and Qatar. Its U.S. operations include oil and gas developments in Alaska and the Lower 48 states, while its international portfolio includes conventional and offshore projects.