AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Lowers Position in ConocoPhillips $COP

Key Points

• AustralianSuper cut its ConocoPhillips stake by 35.6% in Q3 to 50,231 shares worth $4.75M, part of active institutional rebalancing (institutions own ~82.4% of COP).
• ConocoPhillips missed Q4 estimates—EPS $1.02 vs $1.23 and revenue $13.86B vs $14.35B—shares traded down about 2.4%, though the company pays a $0.84 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.36, ~2.9% yield).
• CEO Ryan Lance sold 500,708 shares in December for roughly $46.3M (a ~60.6% drop in his position), while analysts remain generally positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" target near $116.96 and several firms raising price targets (BMO $130, Goldman $120).

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd decreased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,231 shares of the energy producer's stock after selling 27,781 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $4,751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 40,382,724 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $3,623,946,000 after acquiring an additional 287,970 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 1.8% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 14,653,966 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $1,386,119,000 after purchasing an additional 260,091 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 31.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 10,778,664 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $966,267,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575,803 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 10,351,010 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $979,102,000 after purchasing an additional 2,467,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,424,232 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $577,471,000 after buying an additional 244,810 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of COP opened at $115.72 on Thursday. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $79.88 and a fifty-two week high of $122.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $103.20 and a 200 day moving average of $95.85. The firm has a market cap of $143.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.27. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.21). The business 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%.ConocoPhillips's revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.98 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ConocoPhillips news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 325,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,152,410. The trade was a 60.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Johnson Rice downgraded ConocoPhillips from an "accumulate" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $108.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $116.96.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs added ConocoPhillips to its U.S. conviction/HALO list, highlighting COP as a “heavy‑asset” name that may attract rotation from investors seeking capital‑intensive, low‑obsolescence businesses. This typically supports greater buy‑side interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on COP to $130 and kept an “outperform” rating, giving the market a higher analyst valuation that can lift sentiment and provide near‑term upside guidance. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated a buy on ConocoPhillips, adding another reputable shop confirming bullish views — helps sustain analyst momentum around the name. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Sector/geopolitical drivers (tension with Iran and Middle East supply risk) have lifted oil prices and triggered E&P rallies, which supported COP earlier this week. That macro tailwind remains a primary upside catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that ConocoPhillips is exploring selective Permian asset sales (potentially ~$2B) indicate portfolio streamlining; proceeds could be used for buybacks/debt reduction or re‑investment — impact depends on management’s allocation choice. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector commentary (investor pieces on oil stock opportunity) point to potential long‑term FCF upside if oil stays elevated, but they are conditional on realized prices and project execution. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Company fundamentals still weigh: COP missed Q4 consensus earlier (EPS and revenue miss on Feb. 5), which leaves the stock vulnerable to profit‑taking and makes it sensitive to near‑term oil price moves and execution news.

ConocoPhillips 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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