Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 925,407 Shares of ConocoPhillips $COP

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 14,390,243 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 925,407 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,361,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter valued at $340,000. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 164.5% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 49,843 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $4,473,000 after buying an additional 31,000 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.8% during the second quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,407 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 14.9% during the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 7,360 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $660,000 after buying an additional 956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6.7% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 279,064 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $25,043,000 after acquiring an additional 17,486 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at ConocoPhillips

In other news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total transaction of $46,315,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 325,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,152,410. This represents a 60.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $1,003,340.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,984 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,431.36. This represents a 20.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 549,208 shares of company stock valued at $52,070,430. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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 Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE COP opened at $114.13 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $105.11 and its 200 day moving average is $96.46. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $79.88 and a 52 week high of $122.50. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.21). The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on COP. Argus upped their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $111.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Roth Mkm downgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $112.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Johnson Rice cut shares of ConocoPhillips from an “accumulate” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $108.00 to $105.00 in a report on Friday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.54.

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.