BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• BP shares have a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 23 analysts, with the average 12-month price target at about $44.39. Broker opinions are mixed, with three sells, eight holds, nine buys, and three strong buys.
• The company beat first-quarter expectations, reporting EPS of $1.24 versus the $1.00 estimate and revenue of $52.26 billion versus $48.50 billion expected. Revenue rose 11.4% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 5.29.
• BP also maintained its dividend, announcing a quarterly payout of $0.4992 per share, or $2.00 annually, which implies a 4.6% yield. The dividend’s payout ratio is currently high at 165%.

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-three brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.3917.

A number of research firms have issued reports on BP. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of BP from $41.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research raised BP from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Melius Research cut BP from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on BP from $39.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, HSBC upgraded BP from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $35.10 to $45.30 in a report on Friday, March 20th.

BP Stock Performance

Shares of BP stock opened at $43.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.35 and a 200 day moving average of $38.93. BP has a 12 month low of $28.41 and a 12 month high of $48.27.

BP (NYSE:BP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $52.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.50 billion. BP had a net margin of 1.62% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.53 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BP will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.4992 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. BP's dividend payout ratio is presently 165.00%.

Trending Headlines about BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 EPS estimate for BP to $5.22 from $5.04, reinforcing optimism after BP’s Q1 earnings beat expectations. Analyst estimate hike / BP earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. extended BP’s license to keep operating the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan with Iranian and Russian partners, removing a near-term regulatory risk for the asset. Reuters: US extends BP license for Azeri gas field
• Neutral Sentiment: BP’s recent earnings release was described as strong, with “robust” profit and revenue above expectations, but the market has not fully rewarded the beat so far. Yahoo Finance: We Think BP's Profit Is Only A Baseline
• Neutral Sentiment: BP was also in the spotlight for a possible sale or reduction of stakes in major UK carbon capture and storage projects, a move that could improve capital discipline but also signal a pullback from flagship low-carbon assets. Reuters: BP to sell stakes in flagship UK carbon capture projects
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that BP is selling stakes in two UK CCS projects and reducing exposure to flagship carbon capture assets may be read as a sign of asset reshuffling or a more defensive strategy. Gasworld: BP to sell stakes in two UK CCS projects
• Negative Sentiment: BP also fell with the broader oil sector as optimism around a Middle East peace deal pushed oil prices lower, pressuring integrated oil stocks including BP. Telegraph: FTSE 100 tumbles as Iran peace deal hopes rise

Institutional Trading of BP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BP by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 2,038 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp boosted its stake in BP by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 3,933 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of BP by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,597 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. increased its position in shares of BP by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 36,721 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank lifted its holdings in shares of BP by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 29,456 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.01% of the company's stock.

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.

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