BP (LON:BP) Earns “Hold” Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

BP (LON:BP)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a GBX 650 price target on the oil and gas exploration company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 11.30% from the company’s current price.

BP has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of BP in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of BP in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley upgraded BP to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of BP in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating on shares of BP in a research report on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 559.

BP Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of BP stock opened at GBX 584 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 136.71, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.26. BP has a 52-week low of GBX 379.70 and a 52-week high of GBX 562.30. The company has a market capitalization of £113.66 billion, a PE ratio of 43.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.06. The business’s fifty day moving average is GBX 524.35 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 469.73.

Insider Activity

In other BP news, insider Carol Howle bought 62 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 510 per share, with a total value of £316.20. Insiders bought 142 shares of company stock valued at $70,530 over the last quarter. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded BP to a Buy, signaling confidence in the new management and near‑term outlook following recent trading strength. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy and raised its price target to p650, citing solid trading performance and resilient cash generation that underpin a sustained buy view. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed its Buy rating, adding to the cluster of favorable broker sentiment supporting the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BP reported an “exceptional” quarter for oil trading as geopolitical-driven price volatility boosted results—positive operational news but timing can be transient. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies, JPMorgan and TD Cowen have largely reaffirmed Hold/Neutral stances or kept price targets steady, reflecting mixed views on sustainability of earnings upside. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BP’s new CEO is reshaping the company and reportedly planning to split into upstream and downstream units—strategic clarity may help long term but creates near‑term execution risk. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider buying was minimal (5 shares by Kate Thomson), a token positive signal but too small to move fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn that a recent boost in BP’s debt could delay a return to share buybacks and weighs on shareholder return expectations—this is a key headwind for the stock. Article Title

About BP

BP p.l.c. provides carbon products and services. The company operates through Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, and Customers & Products segments. It engages in the production of natural gas, and integrated gas and power; trading of gas; operation of onshore and offshore wind power, as well as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage facilities; trading and marketing of renewable and non-renewable power; and production of crude oil. In addition, the company involved in convenience and retail fuel, EV charging, Castrol lubricant, aviation, B2B, and midstream businesses; refining and oil trading; and bioenergy business.