Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 37.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 163,301 shares of the energy producer's stock after purchasing an additional 44,119 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $16,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company's stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock traded down $1.00 on Thursday, hitting $86.15. 6,585,229 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,367,408. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $92.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.54. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $79.88 and a 1-year high of $119.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy producer reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. The firm had revenue of $16.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.05 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 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 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on ConocoPhillips from $127.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $95.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 price objective on ConocoPhillips in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $114.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $121.95.

ConocoPhillips Profile

ConocoPhillips explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas liquids in the United States, Canada, China, Libya, Malaysia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company's portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; global LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects.