BP (NYSE:BP) Stock Rating Lowered by Melius Research

BP (NYSE:BP) was downgraded by stock analysts at Melius Research from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $31.00 price objective on the oil and gas exploration company’s stock. Melius Research’s price objective points to a potential downside of 16.66% from the stock’s current price.

BP has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of BP from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on BP from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of BP in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of BP in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.50.

BP Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BP opened at $37.20 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $35.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.96 billion, a PE ratio of -3,715.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.89. BP has a fifty-two week low of $25.22 and a fifty-two week high of $39.51.

BP (NYSE:BP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.03. BP had a return on equity of 9.68% and a net margin of 0.03%.The company had revenue of $47.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.44 earnings per share. BP’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that BP will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BP. New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new stake in BP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,768,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of BP by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 6,549 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its holdings in BP by 52.2% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,914 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Winning Points Advisors LLC bought a new position in BP during the 4th quarter worth $659,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC lifted its holdings in BP by 3,119.8% during the 4th quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 66,553 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $2,311,000 after buying an additional 64,486 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 11.01% of the company’s stock.

Key BP News

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BP declared its quarterly dividend (0.4992 per share; ~5.2% yield), providing income support for income-focused investors and helping underpin the stock. (Record/ex-dividend dates were announced on Feb. 10.)
• Positive Sentiment: BP is expanding its U.S. EV charging footprint with seven new sites, showing continued investment in downstream/low‑carbon convenience assets that can diversify cash flow over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: One analyst piece upgraded BP to “Buy,” arguing the company’s pivot to higher‑margin hydrocarbons, disciplined capital allocation and recent balance‑sheet moves make it one of the better turnarounds in the sector. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some brokers call the buyback suspension a prudent, balance‑sheet focused move and trimmed targets rather than flipping bearish — suggesting the market reaction may be a timing/valuation issue more than a structural failure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: BP suspended its share buyback program to prioritise deleveraging after a weak year — a direct hit to shareholder return expectations that has weighed on the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: BP took about a $5.4 billion write‑down tied to transition/renewables assets, signaling management’s scale‑back of higher‑risk green investments and pressuring near‑term earnings and NAV. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: BP reported a sharp drop in annual net profit (reported coverage cites an ~86% fall) and Q4 profit softness, reinforcing concerns about cash flow and the rationale for cutting buybacks. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: Melius Research downgraded BP to “Sell” with a $31 PT, reflecting downside risk from lower returns and suspended buybacks. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Labor risk — negotiations with the United Steelworkers continue after strike preparations, which could disrupt U.S. operations or add cost uncertainty if escalations occur. Read More.

About BP

BP plc is a British multinational integrated energy company headquartered in London. Originating in the early 20th century as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, BP has grown into one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, operating across exploration and production, refining and marketing, trading, and a range of low-carbon businesses.

The company’s core activities include upstream exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, midstream and trading operations, and downstream refining, marketing and supply of fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals.