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Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade
Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade

Key Points In the first quarter, billionaires David Shaw and Louis Bacon sold Apple and bought O'Reilly Automotive, a stock-split stock up 510% in the last decade. Apple is struggling to incorporate artificial intelligence into its business, and the company has gone seven-plus years without a groundbreaking new product. O'Reilly Automotive could be a winner as President Trump's tariffs encourage consumers to service older vehicles rather than purchasing new ones. 10 stocks we like better than Apple › The hedge fund billionaires listed below sold Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) during the first quarter and bought O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY), a company whose share price rocketed 510% over the last decade, leading to a 15-for-1 stock split in early June. David Shaw's D.E. Shaw & Co. sold 340,900 shares of Apple, trimming its stake by 6%. The hedge fund also added 19,000 shares of O'Reilly Automotive, though it remains a very small holding. Louis Bacon's Moore Capital Management sold 495,800 shares of Apple, cutting its stake 97%. The hedge fund also purchased 240 shares of O'Reilly Automotive, starting a very small position. Importantly, both hedge funds still have exposure to Apple, and neither has an especially large position in O'Reilly Automotive. But investors should still consider both trades for their own portfolios. Here's why. 1. Apple Apple has durable brand moat built on design expertise that spans hardware and software. The company once again led the market in smartphone revenue in the March quarter, and it posted double-digit sales growth in its services segment due to strength in advertising, the App Store, and cloud storage. But its overall performance was still uninspiring. Revenue rose 5% to $95 billion, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) net income climbed 5% to $24.8 billion. Importantly, Apple has struggled to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into its business. Analysts thought the suite of generative AI features added last year (i.e., Apple Intelligence) would catalyze a massive iPhone upgrade cycle, but the consumer response has so far been underwhelming, perhaps because the company has repeatedly delayed highly anticipated AI upgrades to its digital assistant Siri. Apple's failure to monetize AI speaks to a larger problem: The company has seemingly lost its capacity for innovation. After a long stint of very successful product launches -- the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, the Apple Watch in 2015, and AirPods in 2017 -- Apple has now gone seven-plus years without a noteworthy new product. And its inability to capitalize on soaring demand for AI is a troubling continuation of that pattern. Wall Street expects Apple's earnings to increase at 11% annually over the next three years. That already makes the current valuation of 33 times earnings look expensive, but analysts may be overestimating. Apple's earnings compounded at less than 2% annually during the last three years despite the company repurchasing 8% of its outstanding shares. Put differently, had Apple not repurchased any stock during the last three years, earnings would have declined nearly 5% in that period. And with no clear catalysts on the horizon, earnings growth is likely to be meager in the coming years. Investors should avoid the stock right now, and shareholders with especially large positions should consider trimming. 2. O'Reilly Automotive O'Reilly Automotive is one of the largest specialty retailers of aftermarket automative parts, tools, equipment, and accessories. The company operates more than 6,400 stores across North America, serving both do-it-yourself (DIY) and professional customers. It also has a robust distribution network that allows "timely access to a broad range of products," which helps the company retain customers. Importantly, while O'Reilly will be impacted by tariffs on imported automobiles and parts, duties imposed by the Trump administration could actually be a net win for the company. That's because the 25% tax on imported automobiles will raise car prices, encouraging consumers to service older vehicles rather than purchasing new ones. Furthermore, the average interest rate on U.S. auto loans has almost doubled in the last four years. O'Reilly reported encouraging Q2 financial results. Revenue rose 6% to $4.5 billion, driven by 67 new store openings and 4.1% same-store sales growth. Meanwhile, GAAP earnings jumped 11% to $0.78 per diluted share, outpacing revenue growth because the company repurchased 6.8 million shares. Management also raised full-year guidance, such that earnings are forecast to increase 9% in 2025. Wall Street expects O'Reilly's earnings to increase at 10% annually during the next three to five years. That makes the current valuation of 36 times earnings look relatively expensive. Nevertheless, I think investors should consider buying a small position in this stock today. And if the share price declines, they should consider building a bigger position at a more reasonable valuation multiple. Should you invest $1,000 in Apple right now? Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,774!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,942!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,040% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Trevor Jennewine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade
Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade

Globe and Mail

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

Billionaires Sell Apple Stock and Buy a Stock-Split Stock Up 510% in the Last Decade

Key Points In the first quarter, billionaires David Shaw and Louis Bacon sold Apple and bought O'Reilly Automotive, a stock-split stock up 510% in the last decade. Apple is struggling to incorporate artificial intelligence into its business, and the company has gone seven-plus years without a groundbreaking new product. O'Reilly Automotive could be a winner as President Trump's tariffs encourage consumers to service older vehicles rather than purchasing new ones. 10 stocks we like better than Apple › The hedge fund billionaires listed below sold Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) during the first quarter and bought O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY), a company whose share price rocketed 510% over the last decade, leading to a 15-for-1 stock split in early June. David Shaw's D.E. Shaw & Co. sold 340,900 shares of Apple, trimming its stake by 6%. The hedge fund also added 19,000 shares of O'Reilly Automotive, though it remains a very small holding. Louis Bacon's Moore Capital Management sold 495,800 shares of Apple, cutting its stake 97%. The hedge fund also purchased 240 shares of O'Reilly Automotive, starting a very small position. Importantly, both hedge funds still have exposure to Apple, and neither has an especially large position in O'Reilly Automotive. But investors should still consider both trades for their own portfolios. Here's why. 1. Apple Apple has durable brand moat built on design expertise that spans hardware and software. The company once again led the market in smartphone revenue in the March quarter, and it posted double-digit sales growth in its services segment due to strength in advertising, the App Store, and cloud storage. But its overall performance was still uninspiring. Revenue rose 5% to $95 billion, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) net income climbed 5% to $24.8 billion. Importantly, Apple has struggled to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into its business. Analysts thought the suite of generative AI features added last year (i.e., Apple Intelligence) would catalyze a massive iPhone upgrade cycle, but the consumer response has so far been underwhelming, perhaps because the company has repeatedly delayed highly anticipated AI upgrades to its digital assistant Siri. Apple's failure to monetize AI speaks to a larger problem: The company has seemingly lost its capacity for innovation. After a long stint of very successful product launches -- the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, the Apple Watch in 2015, and AirPods in 2017 -- Apple has now gone seven-plus years without a noteworthy new product. And its inability to capitalize on soaring demand for AI is a troubling continuation of that pattern. Wall Street expects Apple's earnings to increase at 11% annually over the next three years. That already makes the current valuation of 33 times earnings look expensive, but analysts may be overestimating. Apple's earnings compounded at less than 2% annually during the last three years despite the company repurchasing 8% of its outstanding shares. Put differently, had Apple not repurchased any stock during the last three years, earnings would have declined nearly 5% in that period. And with no clear catalysts on the horizon, earnings growth is likely to be meager in the coming years. Investors should avoid the stock right now, and shareholders with especially large positions should consider trimming. 2. O'Reilly Automotive O'Reilly Automotive is one of the largest specialty retailers of aftermarket automative parts, tools, equipment, and accessories. The company operates more than 6,400 stores across North America, serving both do-it-yourself (DIY) and professional customers. It also has a robust distribution network that allows "timely access to a broad range of products," which helps the company retain customers. Importantly, while O'Reilly will be impacted by tariffs on imported automobiles and parts, duties imposed by the Trump administration could actually be a net win for the company. That's because the 25% tax on imported automobiles will raise car prices, encouraging consumers to service older vehicles rather than purchasing new ones. Furthermore, the average interest rate on U.S. auto loans has almost doubled in the last four years. O'Reilly reported encouraging Q2 financial results. Revenue rose 6% to $4.5 billion, driven by 67 new store openings and 4.1% same-store sales growth. Meanwhile, GAAP earnings jumped 11% to $0.78 per diluted share, outpacing revenue growth because the company repurchased 6.8 million shares. Management also raised full-year guidance, such that earnings are forecast to increase 9% in 2025. Wall Street expects O'Reilly's earnings to increase at 10% annually during the next three to five years. That makes the current valuation of 36 times earnings look relatively expensive. Nevertheless, I think investors should consider buying a small position in this stock today. And if the share price declines, they should consider building a bigger position at a more reasonable valuation multiple. Should you invest $1,000 in Apple right now? Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,774!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,942!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,040% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025

Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300
Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300

Globe and Mail

time27-05-2025

  • Business
  • Globe and Mail

Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300

Institutional asset managers recently filed their latest Forms 13F, disclosures required by the SEC for anyone who owns at least $100 million in equity securities like stocks and index funds. Several hedge fund billionaires purchased the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) in the first quarter, as detailed below: Louis Bacon's Moore Capital Management purchased 31,000 shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust remains a relatively small position in the portfolio. Steven Cohen's Point72 Asset Management added 7,950 shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust remains a relatively small position in the portfolio. Ken Griffin's Citadel Advisors added 2.2 million shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust is now the third-largest position in the portfolio, excluding options. Israel Englander's Millennium Management added 474,300 shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust now ranks among the 25 largest positions in the portfolio, excluding options. Investors should know two things about the Invesco QQQ Trust. First, the index fund tracks 100 stocks in the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC), which dropped into market correction territory in the first quarter. Second, history says the index fund can turn $500 per month into $432,300 in 20 years. The Invesco QQQ Trust provides exposure to many technology companies likely to benefit from artificial intelligence The Nasdaq-100 tracks 100 of the largest companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. The index is rebalanced quarterly and reconstituted annually. It excludes financial companies and is heavily weighted toward the technology sector. The Invesco QQQ Trust measures the performance of the Nasdaq-100. The 10 largest positions in the index fund are listed by weight below: Microsoft: 8.6% Nvidia: 8.2% Apple: 7.5% Amazon: 5.4% Alphabet: 4.9% Broadcom: 4.5% Meta Platforms: 3.5% Netflix: 3.2% Tesla: 3.1% Costco Wholesale: 2.8% Importantly, several companies listed above are likely to benefit from demand for artificial intelligence (AI) in the coming years. Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet are the three largest cloud computing platforms. Nvidia is the leading supplier of data center GPUs. Broadcom is the market leader in custom AI chips. Meta Platforms is using AI to improve engagement across its social media properties. And Tesla is developing robotaxis and autonomous humanoid robots. How the Invesco QQQ Trust can turn $500 per month into $432,300 The Invesco QQQ Trust advanced 1,250% during the last two decades, compounding at 13.9% annually. But if dividend payments are included, the index fund achieved a total return of 1,470%, increasing at 14.7% annually. Admittedly, anticipating an annual return of 14.7% may be overly optimistic. So, investors should introduce a margin of safety by assuming a more modest annual return of 12%. At that pace, $500 invested monthly in the Invesco QQQ Trust will be worth $105,200 in one decade and $432,300 in two decades. Importantly, some investors may wish to save more or less than $500 per month. The chart below details how different monthly contribution amounts will grow over time, assuming an annual return of 12%. Returns were determined using the compound interest calculator. Investors need two more pieces of information. First, the Invesco QQQ Trust has been very volatile throughout history because it is so heavily weighted toward the technology sector. In the last decade, the index fund fell more than 10% from its record high eight times, and it fell more than 20% from its record high four times. Second, the Invesco QQQ Trust has a modest expense ratio of 0.20%, so shareholders will pay $20 annually on every $10,000 invested in the index fund. Comparatively, the average expense ratio of U.S. index funds and mutual funds was 0.34% in 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Invesco QQQ Trust right now? Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to167%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Trevor Jennewine has positions in Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300
Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300

Yahoo

time27-05-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300

In the first quarter, several hedge fund billionaires bought shares of the Invesco QQQ Trust, an index fund that provides heavy exposure to technology stocks. The Invesco QQQ Trust returned 14.7% annually in the last two decades, but even a more modest performance could turn $500 per month into $432,300 over the same period. The Invesco QQQ Trust has historically been a very volatile investment; it fell more than 10% from a record high eight times in the last decade. 10 stocks we like better than Invesco QQQ Trust › Institutional asset managers recently filed their latest Forms 13F, disclosures required by the SEC for anyone who owns at least $100 million in equity securities like stocks and index funds. Several hedge fund billionaires purchased the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) in the first quarter, as detailed below: Louis Bacon's Moore Capital Management purchased 31,000 shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust remains a relatively small position in the portfolio. Steven Cohen's Point72 Asset Management added 7,950 shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust remains a relatively small position in the portfolio. Ken Griffin's Citadel Advisors added 2.2 million shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust is now the third-largest position in the portfolio, excluding options. Israel Englander's Millennium Management added 474,300 shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust now ranks among the 25 largest positions in the portfolio, excluding options. Investors should know two things about the Invesco QQQ Trust. First, the index fund tracks 100 stocks in the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC), which dropped into market correction territory in the first quarter. Second, history says the index fund can turn $500 per month into $432,300 in 20 years. The Nasdaq-100 tracks 100 of the largest companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. The index is rebalanced quarterly and reconstituted annually. It excludes financial companies and is heavily weighted toward the technology sector. The Invesco QQQ Trust measures the performance of the Nasdaq-100. The 10 largest positions in the index fund are listed by weight below: Microsoft: 8.6% Nvidia: 8.2% Apple: 7.5% Amazon: 5.4% Alphabet: 4.9% Broadcom: 4.5% Meta Platforms: 3.5% Netflix: 3.2% Tesla: 3.1% Costco Wholesale: 2.8% Importantly, several companies listed above are likely to benefit from demand for artificial intelligence (AI) in the coming years. Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet are the three largest cloud computing platforms. Nvidia is the leading supplier of data center GPUs. Broadcom is the market leader in custom AI chips. Meta Platforms is using AI to improve engagement across its social media properties. And Tesla is developing robotaxis and autonomous humanoid robots. The Invesco QQQ Trust advanced 1,250% during the last two decades, compounding at 13.9% annually. But if dividend payments are included, the index fund achieved a total return of 1,470%, increasing at 14.7% annually. Admittedly, anticipating an annual return of 14.7% may be overly optimistic. So, investors should introduce a margin of safety by assuming a more modest annual return of 12%. At that pace, $500 invested monthly in the Invesco QQQ Trust will be worth $105,200 in one decade and $432,300 in two decades. Importantly, some investors may wish to save more or less than $500 per month. The chart below details how different monthly contribution amounts will grow over time, assuming an annual return of 12%. Holding Period $200 Per Month $400 Per Month $600 Per Month 10 Years $42,100 $84,200 $126,300 20 Years $172,900 $345,800 $518,700 Returns were determined using the compound interest calculator. Investors need two more pieces of information. First, the Invesco QQQ Trust has been very volatile throughout history because it is so heavily weighted toward the technology sector. In the last decade, the index fund fell more than 10% from its record high eight times, and it fell more than 20% from its record high four times. Second, the Invesco QQQ Trust has a modest expense ratio of 0.20%, so shareholders will pay $20 annually on every $10,000 invested in the index fund. Comparatively, the average expense ratio of U.S. index funds and mutual funds was 0.34% in 2024. Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Trevor Jennewine has positions in Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaires Are Buying an AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 per Month Into $432,300 was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

ConocoPhillips (COP): Among Billionaire Louis Bacon's Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential
ConocoPhillips (COP): Among Billionaire Louis Bacon's Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential

Yahoo

time08-05-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

ConocoPhillips (COP): Among Billionaire Louis Bacon's Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential

We recently published a list of Billionaire Louis Bacon's 10 Stock Picks with Huge Upside Potential. In this article, we are going to take a look at where ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) stands against other stock picks with huge upside potential. Louis Moore Bacon is the founder, Chairman, and principal investment manager of Moore Capital Management, a global investment management firm that provides services to institutional and high-net-worth clients through diversified hedge funds and specialized funds that focus on global fixed-income and emerging markets. It was established in March 1989 and is headquartered in New York City with offices in London and Hong Kong. He holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and a BA in American Literature from Middlebury College. Bacon's investment philosophy is based on risk management and capital preservation principles. His trading strategies are focused on macroeconomic trends and fundamental analysis of the markets. Bacon emphasizes diversification, which allows him to invest across different geographies and asset classes. He is known for his contrarian investment style and takes positions against prevailing market sentiment. Moore Capital Management is a hedge fund with 4 clients and discretionary assets under management (AUM) of $33.20 billion, as reported in the firm's Form ADV dated 19 November 2024. Their last reported 13F filing for Q4 2024 included $8.70 billion in managed 13F securities and a top 10 holdings concentration of 25.53%. He believes that there are opportunities to profit from mispricing that come with volatility or fear. Louis Moore Bacon is also the Founder and Co-Chair of The Moore Charitable Foundation, which was established in 1992 to support conservation-focused nonprofits dedicated to preserving land, water, and wildlife habitats. Bacon has received several awards in this regard, including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award and the Audubon Medal. To compile the list of billionaire Louis Bacon's 10 stock picks with huge upside potential, we sifted through Q4 2024 13F filings of Moore Global Investments from Insider Monkey. From these filings, we checked each stock's upside potential from CNN and ranked the stocks in ascending order of this upside potential. We have also added Moore Global Investments' stake in each company and the hedge fund sentiment around each stock. Note: All data was sourced on May 2. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). An underground network of pipelines transporting oil through an expansive terrain. Moore Global Investments' Stake: $43.75 million Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86 Average Upside Potential as of May 2: 31.83% ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) explores, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas liquids. It operates in six segments: Alaska, Lower 48, Canada, Europe-Middle East-North Africa, Asia Pacific, and Other International. ConocoPhillips' Lower 48 operations delivered a 5% production growth year-over-year for the full year 2024. This contributed to the company's overall 4% production growth. In Q4 of 2024, the Lower 48 produced 1,308,000 BOE/d. The $22.5 billion acquisition of Marathon Oil in late November 2024 also enhanced the Lower 48 portfolio and added high-quality and low-cost supply inventory. The company's revenue of $14.74 billion beat estimates by almost $515 million. The overall production also rose 14.8% to 2.183 million BOE/d in Q4. The company expects to achieve over $1 billion of run-rate synergies by the end of 2025. A portion of this is already reflected in the capital guidance. ConocoPhillips also plans to reduce its workforce as part of a broader initiative to cut costs and streamline operations. Overall, COP ranks 7th on our list of billionaire Louis Bacon's stock picks with huge upside potential. While we acknowledge the potential of COP as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than COP but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio

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