Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Acquires 15,008 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 182,835 shares of the energy producer's stock after buying an additional 15,008 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $21,222,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 63.1% in the third quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 287 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total transaction of $502,781.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,654 shares of the company's stock, valued at $293,399.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Heather G. Hrap sold 4,548 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.55, for a total transaction of $502,781.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,654 shares of the company's stock, valued at $293,399.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 607,000 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.91, for a total value of $76,427,370.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 6,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at $853,669.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 700,775 shares of company stock worth $87,615,169. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on COP shares. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $133.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $145.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $139.00 price target (up previously from $132.00) on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $143.24.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

ConocoPhillips stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $129.33. 4,184,243 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,418,109. ConocoPhillips has a fifty-two week low of $95.70 and a fifty-two week high of $135.18. The firm's fifty day moving average is $120.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $152.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.24.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The energy producer reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $15.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.47 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 22.08% and a net margin of 18.71%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Monday, February 19th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.61%.

ConocoPhillips Company 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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