BP (NYSE:BP) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of BP (NYSE:BP) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded BP to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore set a $38.00 price objective on BP and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. BNP Paribas Exane cut BP from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $38.50 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BP in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of BP to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BP presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.18.

BP Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:BP opened at $46.21 on Monday. BP has a 1-year low of $25.22 and a 1-year high of $48.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $40.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.89. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $121.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4,615.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.21.

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

BP Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.4992 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. BP’s payout ratio is presently -19,800.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in BP in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in BP during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of BP during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. YANKCOM Partnership lifted its stake in shares of BP by 1,068.3% in the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 958 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares during the period. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of BP in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 11.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded BP to a “Strong Buy”, which supports demand for the shares by highlighting improved earnings prospects and income/value appeal. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Azule Energy (the Eni–BP JV) plans to sell stakes in Angola Blocks 14 and 14K for up to $310M — a monetization that trims non-core exposure and generates cash to redeploy or return to shareholders. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: BP completed small retail asset sales (13 Thorntons c-stores), consistent with portfolio sharpening and cash generation efforts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meg O’Neill formally became CEO and pledged “consistency” and clearer direction — this reduces some strategy flip-flop risk but leaves execution and investor trust to be proven. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes the challenges the new CEO faces and broader governance scrutiny; management clarity may be positive long-term but creates near-term uncertainty. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: News about former CEO Bernard Looney taking a role at a data-center developer is unlikely to affect BP’s operations or near-term fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Labor disruption risk: Indiana’s governor joined locked-out BP refinery workers on the picket line amid a contract impasse — a potential source of production disruption, higher costs, or reputational risk if escalated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite positive analyst notes, the stock is trading lower today with heavy volume — indicative of profit-taking or risk-off by traders reacting to management transition and labor headlines. 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.