Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $31.71 Million Stock Position in BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP - Free Report) by 42.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,072,766 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 777,253 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in BP were worth $31,711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in BP during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Bank & Trust Co grew its stake in BP by 404.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 2,120 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in BP by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in BP by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of BP by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC now owns 7,550 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.01% of the company's stock.

BP Price Performance

NYSE:BP traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.55. The company had a trading volume of 17,248,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,577,658. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.07 billion, a PE ratio of 331.89, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $32.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.08. BP p.l.c. has a one year low of $25.22 and a one year high of $39.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

BP (NYSE:BP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.12). BP had a return on equity of 10.96% and a net margin of 0.20%. Analysts forecast that BP p.l.c. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. BP's payout ratio is currently 2,375.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and set a $36.00 target price (down previously from $40.00) on shares of BP in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on BP from $34.70 to $31.80 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. DZ Bank cut shares of BP from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BP in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of BP from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $36.73.

BP Company Profile

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.