ConocoPhillips $COP Stock Purchased by Aspiriant LLC

Key Points

• Aspiriant LLC increased its ConocoPhillips stake by 548.5% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 29,545 shares valued at approximately $3.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.36% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view of COP, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $143.62. Recent ratings included upgrades and price-target increases, though some analysts remain neutral.
• ConocoPhillips reported quarterly EPS of $3.24, exceeding estimates by $0.34, while revenue rose 32.4% year over year to $19.52 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.84 per share, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.

Aspiriant LLC increased its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 548.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,545 shares of the energy producer's stock after purchasing an additional 24,989 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $3,698,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 151.0% in the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 241 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COP. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded ConocoPhillips from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $138.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings raised ConocoPhillips from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $136.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $143.62.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $146.43 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $85.57 and a 52 week high of $146.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $132.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.24.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The energy producer reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $19.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.79 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 14.72%. ConocoPhillips's quarterly revenue was up 32.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 11.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 17th. ConocoPhillips's payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In related news, SVP Andrew Lundquist sold 9,487 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.15, for a total value of $1,282,168.05. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 9,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,296,493.95. This represents a 49.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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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