Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in ConocoPhillips $COP

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 0.3% in Q4 to 120,251,183 shares — roughly 9.73% ownership valued at about $11.26 billion, with institutional investors holding ~82.36% of the stock.
• Analysts are bullish overall: multiple firms (including Morgan Stanley, Wolfe and Bernstein) raised price targets, and the stock has a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $131.36.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently — CEO Ryan Lance sold 113,221 shares (~$15.0M) and insiders sold 734,891 shares (~$93.35M) over the last 90 days, leaving insiders with just 0.09% ownership.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,251,183 shares of the energy producer's stock after purchasing an additional 408,304 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.73% of ConocoPhillips worth $11,256,713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in ConocoPhillips by 58.0% during the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on COP. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $98.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $108.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Nicholas G. Olds sold 6,994 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.06, for a total value of $888,657.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,488.70. This represents a 56.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 113,221 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.71, for a total transaction of $15,025,558.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 350,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,448,500. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 734,891 shares of company stock valued at $93,345,692. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple previews expect COP to beat Q1 estimates, citing the company’s positioning to benefit from current commodity prices and operational momentum; this fuels near-term upside expectations. ConocoPhillips (COP) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna issued a bullish price-appreciation forecast for COP, which can support investor demand and positive momentum. Susquehanna Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for ConocoPhillips
• Positive Sentiment: Relative-strength coverage compares COP favorably to Occidental (OXY) — noting higher ROE, lower debt and a stronger yield profile — reinforcing COP’s appeal versus a key peer. Occidental vs. ConocoPhillips: Which Energy Stock Has More Upside?
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy-sector commentary highlights strong 2026 performance as higher oil prices boost earnings prospects, a tailwind for COP but one that carries volatility risk. Energy stocks are trouncing the rest of the stock market in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of booming renewables and shifting energy mix flags a longer-term demand transition that could temper oil-sector valuations over time; immediate impact on COP is ambiguous. Renewable Energy Is Booming Again. The Iran War Has Scrambled Markets.
• Neutral Sentiment: An industry piece on Expand Energy warns rising costs may pressure margins for producers; this highlights an input-cost risk that could be relevant for COP’s upcoming quarter. Expand Energy to Report Q1 Earnings: What's in the Offing?
• Negative Sentiment: ISS recommends ConocoPhillips shareholders vote for an independent board chair — a governance stance that can signal activist pressure or investor dissatisfaction and may weigh on sentiment until resolved. ISS says ConocoPhillips shareholders should vote for independent board chair

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP opened at $121.63 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $84.28 and a twelve month high of $135.87. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $121.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.21). ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 11.90%. The firm had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.98 earnings per share. ConocoPhillips's revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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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