BP (NYSE:BP) Stock Rating Upgraded by Freedom Capital

Key Points

• Freedom Capital upgraded BP from “strong sell” to “hold,” while overall analyst sentiment remains mixed: 12 analysts rate the stock Buy, nine Hold and two Sell. The consensus price target is $46.36 versus BP’s reported opening price of $41.61.
• BP exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.22 in EPS versus the $1.87 consensus and $69.11 billion in revenue versus estimates of $57.89 billion; revenue increased 106.1% year over year.
• Institutional investors own 11.01% of BP, with several funds recently adding or initiating positions. Recent strategic developments include pursuing noncore-asset sales and acquiring Woodside Energy’s stake in the Calypso gas project, although North Sea regulatory risks and a prolonged Whiting refinery labor lockout remain concerns.

BP (NYSE:BP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Freedom Capital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

BP has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised BP from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Mizuho set a $53.00 price objective on shares of BP in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of BP from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group raised shares of BP from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BP from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.36.

BP Price Performance

BP stock opened at $41.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.16. BP has a one year low of $32.72 and a one year high of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $41.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.89.

BP (NYSE:BP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $69.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.89 billion. BP had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 2.49%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 106.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that BP will post 5.96 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BP

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT bought a new stake in BP in the 4th quarter worth $67,890,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of BP by 15.8% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,410,714 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $52,307,000 after purchasing an additional 192,211 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of BP in the first quarter worth about $28,136,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new position in BP during the 4th quarter valued at about $17,768,000. Finally, Sagefield Capital LP raised its position in BP by 125.2% during the 4th quarter. Sagefield Capital LP now owns 493,556 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $17,141,000 after purchasing an additional 274,381 shares during the last quarter. 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 agreed to acquire Woodside Energy’s 70% stake in the Calypso gas project offshore Trinidad and Tobago, giving BP full ownership and operatorship of the early-stage deepwater development. The deal could strengthen BP’s regional gas position and future production pipeline, although the project remains at an early stage. BP to acquire Woodside's stake in Calypso project
• Positive Sentiment: BP is pursuing sales of its Archaea Energy renewable natural gas business and other noncore assets, including North Sea interests. The moves support CEO Meg O’Neill’s strategy to simplify the portfolio, focus capital on higher-priority projects and potentially improve profitability. BP to sell landfill RNG business Archaea Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its BP price target from $42 to $43 while maintaining a “neutral” rating. The modest increase indicates limited near-term conviction despite acknowledging some potential upside. Piper Sandler raises BP price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts highlighted BP’s North Sea asset sale, updated production guidance and higher interim dividend following a strong first half. The transactions may improve capital allocation, but investors are assessing whether BP’s recent share-price gains already reflect the benefits. BP sells North Sea assets
• Neutral Sentiment: A potential Brazilian megaproject could provide BP with a long-term growth region as existing pre-salt developments mature, but the opportunity remains dependent on exploration and project execution. Brazil megaproject
• Negative Sentiment: BP’s former finance chief warned that the UK Treasury could lose billions in tax revenue and relief from Labour’s planned North Sea shutdown. The report underscores regulatory and fiscal uncertainty surrounding BP’s UK operations. North Sea shutdown to cost Treasury billions
• Negative Sentiment: A nearly five-month labor lockout at BP’s Whiting refinery remains an operational and employee-relations concern, potentially creating disruption and additional costs. BP Whiting refinery labor lockout

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.

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