BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.3462.

BP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of BP to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Scotiabank set a $41.00 price target on shares of BP in a report on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of BP in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on BP from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded BP from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th.

BP Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BP opened at $38.42 on Tuesday. BP has a fifty-two week low of $25.22 and a fifty-two week high of $39.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $100.73 billion, a PE ratio of -3,837.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.33.

BP (NYSE:BP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.03. BP had a return on equity of 9.68% and a net margin of 0.03%.The firm had revenue of $47.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that BP will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $0.4992 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. BP’s dividend payout ratio is presently -19,800.00%.

Institutional Trading of BP

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in shares of BP during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BP during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in BP during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. YANKCOM Partnership grew its position in BP by 1,068.3% in the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 958 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of BP during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 11.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BP Company Profile

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.