Peoples Financial Services CORP. Increases Stock Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Peoples Financial Services CORP. lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 43.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,636 shares of the energy producer’s stock after buying an additional 793 shares during the quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 80.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 343 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 82.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $135.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of ConocoPhillips from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $120.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.65.

ConocoPhillips Stock Up 0.6 %

COP opened at $104.83 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $104.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.56. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.19.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy producer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.10. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 19.53%. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 11th were given a $0.78 dividend. This is a positive change from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

ConocoPhillips 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.