81,998 Shares in ConocoPhillips $COP Acquired by Meiji Yasuda America Inc

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda America Inc disclosed a new position in ConocoPhillips, buying 81,998 shares valued at about $7.68 million in the fourth quarter. The stake represents roughly 1.8% of its holdings and makes COP its 15th largest position.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on ConocoPhillips, with several firms recently raising price targets. The stock now carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $134.48.
• ConocoPhillips posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.89 topping estimates and revenue of $15.76 billion slightly ahead of forecasts. The company also paid a $0.84 quarterly dividend, equal to a 2.9% yield.

Meiji Yasuda America Inc bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 81,998 shares of the energy producer's stock, valued at approximately $7,676,000. ConocoPhillips accounts for about 1.8% of Meiji Yasuda America Inc's holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COP. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $118.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $149.00 to $152.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Argus upped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.48.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $115.41 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.41. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $85.57 and a 12-month high of $135.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $140.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.11.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The business had revenue of $15.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 10.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total transaction of $888,657.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $685,488.70. This represents a 56.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.26, for a total transaction of $64,495,368.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 6,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $869,822.10. This represents a 98.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 634,715 shares of company stock worth $81,410,816. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips joined TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy in an MoU with the Syrian Petroleum Company to explore offshore Block 3 in the Mediterranean, which could create a new long-term exploration opportunity if the project advances. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary on COP remains constructive overall, with some analysts highlighting the company’s resilience and others maintaining upbeat price targets, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside potential over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy stocks broadly have been stronger this year, and the sector ETF’s gains show investors are still favoring oil and gas names despite recent pullbacks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: ConocoPhillips reported solid last quarter results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, which continues to support the investment case even though year-over-year revenue declined.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity has been negative, with a recent director stock sale adding to a pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article framed COP as vulnerable to additional market weakness, reinforcing concerns that the stock could stay tied to crude-price moves if oil sentiment softens further. Article Title

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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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