ConocoPhillips Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:COP)
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders purchased 91,010 call options on the company. This is an increase of 512% compared to the average daily volume of 14,862 call options.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $129.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen raised ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on ConocoPhillips from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.33.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director William H. Mcraven acquired 5,768 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.68 per share, with a total value of $499,970.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of ConocoPhillips
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 49.3% during the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 801,426 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $83,969,000 after purchasing an additional 264,726 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 17.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 154,360 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $13,927,000 after buying an additional 22,827 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,395,546 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $304,716,000 after buying an additional 78,642 shares during the period. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,264,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 128,601 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $13,506,000 after acquiring an additional 34,195 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
ConocoPhillips Stock Up 2.3%
Shares of NYSE:COP traded up $2.02 on Friday, reaching $91.44. The company had a trading volume of 7,627,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,690,727. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $90.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.94. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $79.88 and a twelve month high of $115.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 15.26%.The business had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.
ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.52%.
About ConocoPhillips
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.
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