ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Purchased by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 28.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,709 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,360 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of COP. NBT Bank N A NY raised its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 35.8% during the third quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 11,950 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 3,150 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 8.6% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 48,827 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $5,850,000 after acquiring an additional 3,848 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 4.2% during the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 2,864 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 3.9% during the third quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,013 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Gratus Capital LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter worth about $283,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:COP traded up $0.28 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $123.82. The stock had a trading volume of 876,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,316,796. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $97.42 and a 52 week high of $135.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $124.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $117.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.81 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.25.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.32. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 18.40% and a return on equity of 20.85%. The firm had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $158.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $149.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $142.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other news, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total value of $953,070.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Dominic E. Macklon sold 23,372 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.17, for a total value of $2,621,637.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher P. Delk sold 8,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.06, for a total transaction of $953,070.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Company 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.