MQS Management LLC Acquires 8,967 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

MQS Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 286.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,102 shares of the energy producer's stock after buying an additional 8,967 shares during the quarter. ConocoPhillips accounts for about 0.7% of MQS Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. MQS Management LLC's holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $1,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.2% during the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 50,075 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $6,374,000 after purchasing an additional 2,041 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp. lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 8.9% during the first quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 2,170 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. bought a new position in ConocoPhillips during the first quarter worth about $257,000. TBH Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 34.5% in the first quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 28,486 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $3,626,000 after purchasing an additional 7,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.8% in the first quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 72,706 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $9,254,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company's stock.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of COP stock traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $111.82. 5,566,917 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,895,571. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $101.29 and a 12-month high of $135.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company's 50-day moving average price is $107.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.21.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.97 billion. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 11th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on COP shares. Barclays boosted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $147.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Susquehanna upped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $137.47.

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.