Natixis Advisors LLC Has $161.77 Million Position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,631,281 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 105,573 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $161,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COP. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 51.3% in the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 10,352 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,027,000 after buying an additional 3,509 shares during the period. Harbour Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investment Management LLC now owns 16,205 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 4,634 shares in the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Family Firm Inc. now owns 5,046 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of ConocoPhillips during the fourth quarter worth $744,000. Finally, Hills Bank & Trust Co increased its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 5,687 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ConocoPhillips Stock Performance

NYSE COP opened at $99.10 on Friday. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $86.81 and a 52-week high of $135.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $99.22 and a 200-day moving average of $103.87. The stock has a market cap of $126.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last issued 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 net margin of 16.23% and a return on equity of 17.26%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.05%.

Insider Activity at ConocoPhillips

In related news, Director R A. Walker purchased 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 acquisition, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arjun N. Murti bought 2,500 shares of ConocoPhillips stock in a transaction on 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 21,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,205. The trade was a 13.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on COP. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $127.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $132.00 target price on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.05.

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.