8,817 ConocoPhillips $COP Shares Bought by Veracity Capital LLC

Key Points

• Veracity Capital LLC increased its ConocoPhillips position by 421.1% in the third quarter, purchasing 8,817 shares and bringing its holdings to 10,911 shares valued at approximately $1.37 million.
• ConocoPhillips has broad institutional backing, with institutional investors and hedge funds owning 82.36% of outstanding shares, although recent positioning among major investors was mixed.
• Wall Street maintains a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $143.29, while the stock recently traded at $134.28 after the company exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations.

Veracity Capital LLC grew its position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 421.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,911 shares of the energy producer's stock after purchasing an additional 8,817 shares during the quarter. Veracity Capital LLC's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COP. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in ConocoPhillips by 151.0% during the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 241 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth $36,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil prices are the primary catalyst. ConocoPhillips is particularly sensitive to commodity prices because stronger realized prices can increase upstream revenue, operating cash flow and shareholder returns. ConocoPhillips gains as oil prices jump on supply fears
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded COP from “Hold” to “Strong Buy.” The upgrade adds to the stock’s favorable analyst backdrop; recent ratings include Buy and Overweight recommendations, while the median reported price target is $143.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent company fundamentals remain supportive. ConocoPhillips previously reaffirmed full-year guidance, reported strong operating cash flow and doubled second-quarter share repurchases. Its latest quarterly results also exceeded analyst expectations, with revenue up 32.4% year over year.
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term gas exposure and portfolio optimization provide additional support. The company’s 20-year agreement to purchase LNG from Venture Global beginning in 2030 could expand its gas presence, while a potential sale of Norway and U.K. Teesside assets—reportedly valued near $7 billion—could increase capital flexibility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed. Major investors including JPMorgan, Sixth Street Partners, BlackRock and T. Rowe Price added shares in the latest quarter, but other institutions reduced holdings. This suggests continued investor interest without a uniform market view.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity has consisted entirely of sales. Three insiders sold shares during the past six months, with no reported purchases. These transactions may modestly temper sentiment, although they do not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $155.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays cut their target price on ConocoPhillips from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $143.29.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE:COP traded up $4.44 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $134.28. The stock had a trading volume of 2,995,049 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,118,433. The stock has a market cap of $161.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.54. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $85.57 and a 12-month high of $141.62.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $19.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.79 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 14.22%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 32.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.42 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. ConocoPhillips's payout ratio is 44.44%.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In related news, SVP Andrew Lundquist sold 9,487 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.15, for a total value of $1,282,168.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,296,493.95. This trade represents a 49.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips NYSE: COP is an independent exploration and production company engaged in finding, developing and producing crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids and liquefied natural gas. Unlike integrated energy companies, ConocoPhillips focuses primarily on upstream activities rather than refining and retail fuel operations.

The company has a diversified portfolio of assets in major producing regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Norway and Qatar. Its U.S. operations include oil and gas developments in Alaska and the Lower 48 states, while its international portfolio includes conventional and offshore projects.

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