Wills Financial Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Wills Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,020 shares of the energy producer's stock after selling 7,661 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips accounts for about 1.5% of Wills Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Wills Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $3,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of COP. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth $10,774,000. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,585 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $3,529,000 after buying an additional 9,836 shares in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 124,882 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $12,385,000 after acquiring an additional 5,335 shares during the period. Finally, Cheviot Value Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC now owns 95,979 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $9,518,000 after acquiring an additional 2,717 shares during the period. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on COP shares. Scotiabank decreased their target price on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $95.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $111.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lowered shares of ConocoPhillips from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $138.00 to $107.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $131.00 to $116.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $124.79.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of COP stock traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $90.34. 3,824,446 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,439,206. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $79.88 and a 1 year high of $125.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $94.05 and a 200 day moving average of $100.26. The firm has a market cap of $114.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. Analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

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.