USS Investment Management Ltd Has $17.80 Million Stock Holdings in ConocoPhillips $COP

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd cut its ConocoPhillips stake by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,052 shares and ending with 190,212 shares valued at about $17.8 million.
• ConocoPhillips has seen heavy institutional ownership overall, with 82.36% of shares held by institutional investors and hedge funds, even as several insiders recently sold stock.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock: ConocoPhillips has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, a consensus price target of $134.48, and it recently beat earnings estimates while continuing to pay a quarterly dividend yielding about 2.9%.

USS Investment Management Ltd trimmed its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 190,212 shares of the energy producer's stock after selling 16,052 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $17,804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter worth $28,000. Sfam LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips has been trading higher alongside the broader rebound in energy stocks, with crude prices and sector momentum helping support investor demand. ConocoPhillips (COP) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive on ConocoPhillips, with reports citing 18 buy ratings and no sell ratings, reinforcing the view that analysts still expect solid upside potential. Wall Street Has 18 Buy Ratings on ConocoPhillips and Zero Sells. Our Price Target Says They Are All Wrong
• Positive Sentiment: ConocoPhillips continues to be highlighted as a strong value stock, which can attract investors looking for cash-flow-generating energy names at reasonable valuations. Here's Why ConocoPhillips (COP) is a Strong Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: ConocoPhillips was included in a TotalEnergies-led offshore exploration MoU in Syria, but the news is early-stage and appears more strategic than immediately material to earnings. TotalEnergies (TTE), QatarEnergy, ConocoPhillips (COP) Sign MoU to Explore Offshore Block 3
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary suggests the recent rebound may have pushed ConocoPhillips above fair value, with one note arguing the stock could be priced ahead of fundamentals despite the bullish analyst backdrop. Wall Street Has 18 Buy Ratings on ConocoPhillips and Zero Sells. Our Price Target Says They Are All Wrong
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling added a small cautionary note for investors, though the move appears limited relative to the broader bullish trend. Top ConocoPhillips Insider Makes Notable Move in Latest Stock Transaction

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In related news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total value of $888,657.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $685,488.70. This trade represents a 56.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Kelly Brunetti Rose sold 7,700 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.03, for a total value of $1,001,231.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 25,284 shares in the company, valued at $3,287,678.52. The trade was a 23.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 634,715 shares of company stock valued at $81,410,816 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on ConocoPhillips from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research cut ConocoPhillips from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on ConocoPhillips from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Freedom Capital cut ConocoPhillips from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.48.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE:COP opened at $116.59 on Monday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $120.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $85.57 and a twelve month high of $135.87.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The energy producer reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $15.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.62 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 12.10%.ConocoPhillips's revenue was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 10.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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