Sanford C. Bernstein Cuts ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Price Target to $98.00

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) had its target price reduced by Sanford C. Bernstein from $116.00 to $98.00 in a research report report published on Monday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the energy producer’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on COP. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Roth Capital lowered their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $108.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on ConocoPhillips from $115.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, ConocoPhillips presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.19.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP stock opened at $94.05 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. ConocoPhillips has a 52-week low of $79.88 and a 52-week high of $106.20. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.55.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy producer reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.51 billion. ConocoPhillips had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 14.25%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that ConocoPhillips will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

ConocoPhillips Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is an increase from ConocoPhillips’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. ConocoPhillips’s payout ratio is 47.52%.

Insider Activity

In other ConocoPhillips news, CEO Ryan Michael Lance sold 500,708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total value of $46,315,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 325,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,152,410. This trade represents a 60.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William H. Mcraven acquired 5,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.68 per share, for a total transaction of $499,970.24. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 5,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,970.24. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ConocoPhillips

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Heartland Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in ConocoPhillips by 97.2% during the second quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 6,861 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 3,381 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 12.1% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 140,829 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $13,321,000 after buying an additional 15,202 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of ConocoPhillips by 138.7% in the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 10,413 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $934,000 after buying an additional 6,051 shares in the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 510.5% during the 2nd quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 29,285 shares of the energy producer’s stock valued at $2,628,000 after acquiring an additional 24,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of ConocoPhillips by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 154,360 shares of the energy producer’s stock worth $13,927,000 after acquiring an additional 22,827 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.36% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting ConocoPhillips

Here are the key news stories impacting ConocoPhillips this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. policy headlines suggest material upside if U.S. firms regain access to Venezuelan oil — Trump said Venezuela would supply 30–50 million barrels to the U.S. and a White House meeting with major oil CEOs (including Conoco) is planned, which could boost COP’s production outlook and long‑term reserves. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces model large upside from a successful conversion of Conoco’s Venezuelan claims into producing assets (possible low‑cost access to Orinoco Belt reserves and cash from Citgo proceeds). That thesis supports longer‑term upside if geopolitics permit re‑entry. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market activity shows bullish positioning — unusually high call‑option volume has been reported, indicating some investors expect an upside catalyst. This can increase volatility but also signal conviction among speculators. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals/earnings momentum remain supportive: COP has a recent history of earnings beats and analysts still model solid EPS, which can limit downside if geopolitical headlines cool. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some brokerage moves trim upside but keep constructive views — Wolfe Research lowered its price target slightly but maintained an outperform rating, showing mixed analyst sentiment rather than outright bearishness. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector‑wide rally on Venezuela news has lifted energy peers and ETFs, which can buoy COP if the story becomes durable — but sector momentum depends on follow‑through and clearance of technical levels. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Policy and legal uncertainty is weighing: the U.S. Energy Secretary said Exxon’s and ConocoPhillips’ arbitration claims against Venezuela “need to be paid but are not an immediate priority,” raising doubt about near‑term compensation or asset transfers. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Major outlets note the Venezuela situation complicates plans — outstanding multi‑billion dollar claims and messy geopolitics could delay or reduce the economic benefit to COP, keeping risk premia elevated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and lower price targets have emerged (e.g., Bernstein cut its target to $98), which increase selling pressure and help explain the stock’s decline today. Read More.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

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.