AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Makes New $15.92 Million Investment in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 160,563 shares of the energy producer's stock, valued at approximately $15,923,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 876.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 80.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $140.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James downgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, December 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.56.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 1.1 %

COP traded up $1.09 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $97.35. 11,737,198 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,579,447. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $100.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.61. The firm has a market cap of $112.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. As a group, analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. This represents a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 38,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.