ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Free Report) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,641,970 shares of the energy producer's stock after buying an additional 167,700 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.14% of ConocoPhillips worth $162,834,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of COP. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 19.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 66,928,793 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $7,046,263,000 after purchasing an additional 10,663,093 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 20.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 31,161,897 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $3,280,725,000 after purchasing an additional 5,240,016 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 59.7% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 12,456,011 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $1,311,369,000 after purchasing an additional 4,656,040 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 5,422.3% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,587,729 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $482,996,000 after purchasing an additional 4,504,653 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 401.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,423,611 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $438,690,000 after purchasing an additional 3,541,504 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.36% of the company's stock.

ConocoPhillips Stock Down 4.0 %

Shares of COP stock traded down $4.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $97.90. 8,561,843 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,781,136. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.18. ConocoPhillips has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $100.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.44.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. As a group, research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.19%. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at ConocoPhillips

In other ConocoPhillips news, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $95.87 per share, for a total transaction of $239,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director R A. Walker bought 10,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,716,400. The trade was a 37.68 % increase in their position. 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.