Quent Capital LLC Has $341,000 Stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 50.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,434 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 1,157 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $341,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Yacktman Asset Management LP raised its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP now owns 1,883,942 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $186,831,000 after purchasing an additional 199,710 shares in the last quarter. Towneley Capital Management Inc DE acquired a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 4th quarter valued at $354,000. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 16,584 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,645,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 60,682 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $6,018,000 after acquiring an additional 3,763 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cigna Investments Inc. New boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 13,221 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,311,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on COP shares. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Raymond James downgraded ConocoPhillips from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $157.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Monday. Susquehanna upped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho raised ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.72.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP opened at $101.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.03. ConocoPhillips has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The energy producer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.20. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 16.23%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 40.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Arjun N. Murti purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $95.87 per share, with a total value of $239,675.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,061,205. This trade represents a 13.16 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director R A. Walker acquired 10,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $97.80 per share, with a total value of $1,017,120.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 38,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,716,400. This trade represents a 37.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.