Windmill Hill Asset Management Ltd Sells 6,000 Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Windmill Hill Asset Management Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 63.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,470 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 6,000 shares during the period. ConocoPhillips accounts for about 0.3% of Windmill Hill Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Windmill Hill Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in ConocoPhillips by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 103,553 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $10,902,000 after acquiring an additional 31,011 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 8,855 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its position in ConocoPhillips by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 71,097 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $7,488,000 after buying an additional 13,595 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 1.9% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,489,514 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $262,094,000 after acquiring an additional 46,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 4,504,653 shares during the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded 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. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on ConocoPhillips from $134.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $148.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.89.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

COP opened at $99.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $115.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $101.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.32. ConocoPhillips has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.18.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its 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 return on equity of 19.53% and a net margin of 17.29%. Equities analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 37.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

About ConocoPhillips

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.