Insider Selling: ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) CEO Sells 113,221 Shares of Stock

Key Points

  • CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 113,221 shares on March 31 at an average price of $132.71 (~$15.03M), trimming his stake ~24.4% to 350,000 shares, and had also sold 506,800 shares on March 20 (~$64.5M), representing sizable recent insider selling.
  • ConocoPhillips missed quarterly EPS ($1.02 vs. $1.23 expected) with revenue down 3.7% year‑over‑year, and pays a $0.84 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~2.6%).
  • Analyst views are mixed—Citigroup raised its target to $150 and kept a Buy rating, MarketBeat shows an average target of $124.36 and a "Moderate Buy" consensus, and institutional investors own about 82.36% of the stock.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 113,221 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.71, for a total transaction of $15,025,558.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 350,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,448,500. This trade represents a 24.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Ryan Michael Lance also recently made the following trade(s):

  • On Friday, March 20th, Ryan Michael Lance sold 506,800 shares of ConocoPhillips stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.26, for a total value of $64,495,368.00.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

Shares of ConocoPhillips stock opened at $130.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $158.90 billion, a PE ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.19. ConocoPhillips has a twelve month low of $79.88 and a twelve month high of $135.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $115.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.13.




ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy producer reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.21). ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 11.90% and a net margin of 12.98%.The business had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.98 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. ConocoPhillips's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.00%.

More ConocoPhillips News

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on COP to $150 and maintained a Buy rating, giving institutional support and a sizable upside case versus recent levels. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded ConocoPhillips from "strong sell" to "hold," removing a negative analyst tag and improving the headline outlook from some retail/income investors. Read More.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and "what's going on" explainers are amplifying short-term flows into and out of COP but add little new fundamental information—these articles increase volatility/attention more than change fundamentals. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryan Lance sold 113,221 shares for about $15.03M (reported sale price ~$132.71 per share), trimming his stake ~24.4%; large insider sales can be seen as a near-term negative signal for sentiment even if for personal reasons. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: Analyst rotation toward Diamondback (and headlines that Diamondback displaced ConocoPhillips on some "top oil picks" lists) highlights investor preference for U.S. shale growth/production discipline over larger diversified producers, which can divert flows away from COP. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: Market-driven factors tied to an unwind of a geopolitical "war premium" in oil futures earlier this week pressured COP and other energy names as Iran de‑escalation hopes rose — a macro headwind for oil-weighted equities. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new position in ConocoPhillips during the 3rd quarter worth $1,804,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in ConocoPhillips by 14.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,331,176 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $220,506,000 after purchasing an additional 298,245 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 8.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,996,426 shares of the energy producer's stock valued at $188,842,000 after buying an additional 160,410 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 12.1% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 140,829 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $13,321,000 after buying an additional 15,202 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 3.2% during the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 389,995 shares of the energy producer's stock worth $36,890,000 after buying an additional 11,958 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on COP. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of ConocoPhillips from $116.00 to $98.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $124.00 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm cut shares of ConocoPhillips from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $112.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Scotiabank raised ConocoPhillips to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $124.36.

View Our Latest Stock Report on COP

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is a Houston-based international energy company focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Formed in 2002 through the merger of Conoco Inc and Phillips Petroleum Company, the firm operates as an independent upstream company that explores for, develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids across a portfolio of global assets.

The company's activities span conventional and unconventional resources and include onshore and offshore operations in multiple regions around the world.

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