USS Investment Management Ltd Boosts Stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

USS Investment Management Ltd raised its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 282.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 297,851 shares of the energy producer's stock after buying an additional 219,951 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $29,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 254 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 310.1% during the 4th quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 365 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $111.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $114.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.74.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 2.3%

COP opened at $90.33 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $93.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $114.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.64. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $79.88 and a 1-year high of $122.11.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The energy producer reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $16.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.74 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. ConocoPhillips's payout ratio is 39.64%.

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.

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