ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Sold by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. lessened its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 20.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,787 shares of the energy producer's stock after selling 29,624 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $11,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company's stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

ConocoPhillips stock traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $88.58. 7,568,420 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,274,655. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.64. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $79.88 and a fifty-two week high of $123.98.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The energy producer reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $16.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.74 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.05 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $111.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Susquehanna set a $136.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $127.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price target on ConocoPhillips in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $124.89.

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.