Wedmont Private Capital Sells 9,929 Shares of ConocoPhillips $COP
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyWedmont Private Capital decreased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP – Free Report) by 38.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,757 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 9,929 shares during the quarter. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,480,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,804,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,331,176 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $220,506,000 after buying an additional 298,245 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,996,426 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $188,842,000 after buying an additional 160,410 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 12.1% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 140,829 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $13,321,000 after buying an additional 15,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.2% during the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 389,995 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $36,890,000 after buying an additional 11,958 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting ConocoPhillips
Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:
- Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips was a bidder in a record Alaska National Petroleum Reserve lease sale that drew roughly $163 million in high bids, signaling renewed upstream access and long‑term resource optionality for COP in the Arctic. Record Arctic Alaska auction lures ExxonMobil, Shell, Repsol and ConocoPhillips
- Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical flare-ups (missile attacks affecting LNG facilities) have pushed crude and energy prices higher, which should boost ConocoPhillips’ revenue and cash flow in the near term given its oil exposure. Oil Prices Surge After Attacks on Energy Assets in Qatar; Energy Stocks Higher in Premarket Trading
- Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on COP to $136, reflecting bullish analyst sentiment that can support investor confidence and buying interest. Mizuho Raises ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Price Target to $136.00
- Neutral Sentiment: ConocoPhillips scheduled its first‑quarter earnings conference call for April 30; investors will watch the call for updated production, capex guidance and margin commentary that could move the stock. ConocoPhillips to hold first-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, April 30
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and press note U.S. oil producers could see a near‑term windfall from higher crude (an estimate cited ~$63B), but they also warn prolonged geopolitical conflict could harm demand and operations—an ambiguous signal for investors. U.S. oil producers could get $63 billion boost from high crude prices
- Negative Sentiment: An executive stock sale: a ConocoPhillips SVP sold about $4.13 million of COP shares, which investors sometimes view as a near‑term negative signal on insider sentiment even if sales are for diversification or other reasons. ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) SVP Sells $4,128,960.00 in Stock
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
COP has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.38.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on COP
ConocoPhillips Stock Up 0.6%
Shares of NYSE COP opened at $126.78 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $109.30 and its 200 day moving average is $97.85. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $79.88 and a 52 week high of $128.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.30.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.21). ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 12.98%.The firm had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.00%.
Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips
In related news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 2,654 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.68, for a total value of $317,630.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 5,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,747.84. This trade represents a 31.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 8,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $1,003,340.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 32,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,431.36. This represents a 20.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 100,176 shares of company stock worth $11,934,877 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.
About ConocoPhillips
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.
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