Wintrust Investments LLC Decreases Stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Wintrust Investments LLC lowered its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 22.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,533 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 718 shares during the quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips by 97,756.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,354,810,556 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $140,371,922,000 after buying an additional 1,353,426,064 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 98,832.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,584,373 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,012,956,000 after acquiring an additional 8,575,696 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,647,723 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $1,964,432,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497,750 shares during the last quarter. Cowa LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 6,475.2% during the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 2,375,224 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,383,000 after acquiring an additional 2,339,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 794.6% during the 1st quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,313,596 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $229,532,000 after acquiring an additional 2,054,974 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.36% of the company’s stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of COP stock opened at $114.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $136.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s fifty day moving average is $119.68 and its 200 day moving average is $112.31. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $91.53 and a twelve month high of $130.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 14th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. This is a boost from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 13th. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 30,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.83, for a total value of $3,813,964.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $735,178.71. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other ConocoPhillips news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 569,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.14, for a total value of $69,546,516.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 18,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,221,360.18. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Andrew D. Lundquist sold 30,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.83, for a total value of $3,813,964.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,937 shares in the company, valued at $735,178.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 646,049 shares of company stock valued at $78,636,116 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on COP. Susquehanna dropped their price target on ConocoPhillips from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Bank of America lifted their price target on ConocoPhillips from $145.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on ConocoPhillips from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. Raymond James dropped their target price on ConocoPhillips from $142.00 to $138.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Johnson Rice assumed coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “accumulate” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.35.

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 and internationally. The company's portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; various LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects.