Choate Investment Advisors Has $5.53 Million Holdings in ConocoPhillips $COP

Key Points

• Choate Investment Advisors reduced its ConocoPhillips stake by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 9,248 shares and leaving it with 59,021 shares valued at about $5.53 million.
• Insider selling has been significant: CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares, and insiders sold a total of 734,891 shares worth $93.35 million over the last 90 days.
• Despite the insider sales, Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus; the company also posted quarterly EPS and revenue that both topped expectations.

Choate Investment Advisors cut its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 59,021 shares of the energy producer's stock after selling 9,248 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors' holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $5,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, BNP Paribas bought a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.26, for a total transaction of $64,495,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at $869,822.10. This trade represents a 98.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 34,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.68, for a total transaction of $4,128,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 17,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,090,689.92. This represents a 66.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 734,891 shares of company stock worth $93,345,692 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on COP. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $118.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective 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, Freedom Capital downgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.28.

Trending Headlines about ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips and Glenfarne signed a 30-year natural gas supply agreement tied to Alaska LNG, a meaningful step that reduces project uncertainty and strengthens the case for long-term cash flow from the development. ConocoPhillips (COP) and Glenfarne’s Alaska LNG Sign 30-Year Natural Gas Supply Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on ConocoPhillips to $153 from $149 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling continued Wall Street confidence in the company’s upside. Morgan Stanley adjusts ConocoPhillips price target to $153 from $149, maintains overweight rating
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs’ Conviction List inclusion and bullish commentary suggest COP is viewed as a resilient cash-flow name, with major projects potentially supporting results even if energy markets stay volatile. Why ConocoPhillips (COP) Is Still a Cash-Flow Bet Amid LNG Project Activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame ConocoPhillips as undervalued, including value-screen and Zacks coverage, which may support the stock but does not by itself change fundamentals. 5 Value Stocks Trading at Attractive Price-to-Sales Ratios
• Neutral Sentiment: ConocoPhillips is also being discussed for longer-term Lower 48 production growth, with higher 2026 spending aimed at boosting output, but this is more of a long-range operating update than an immediate stock catalyst. Can ConocoPhillips Sustain Long-Term Growth in the Lower 48?
• Negative Sentiment: There were no major negative company-specific headlines in the provided set; however, recent weakness in the shares suggests investors may still be cautious despite the positive LNG and analyst news.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

NYSE:COP opened at $120.48 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $123.68 and a 200-day moving average of $107.59. The company has a market capitalization of $146.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.14. ConocoPhillips has a 52 week low of $84.28 and a 52 week high of $135.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.29.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $15.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.62 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 9.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.05%.

About ConocoPhillips

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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