Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors Acquires Shares of 1,727 ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)

Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,727 shares of the energy producer’s stock, valued at approximately $220,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. West Branch Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 96.0% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 247 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. 82.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ConocoPhillips Trading Up 0.3 %

COP stock traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $114.28. 644,531 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,647,300. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $99.35 and a 52-week high of $135.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $118.87 and its 200-day moving average is $117.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $133.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.22.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The energy producer reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 18.40%. The company had revenue of $14.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.72 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. ConocoPhillips’s dividend payout ratio is 26.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $142.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Argus raised shares of ConocoPhillips to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.18.

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.