BP (NYSE:BP) Upgraded to Hold at Freedom Capital

BP (NYSE:BP) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Freedom Capital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on BP. Royal Bank Of Canada raised BP from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded BP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Mizuho set a $53.00 price target on BP in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded BP from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $57.00 price objective on BP and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.36.

BP Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:BP opened at $41.61 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.89. BP has a 12 month low of $32.72 and a 12 month high of $48.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $108.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.16.

BP (NYSE:BP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.35. BP had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company had revenue of $69.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. BP’s quarterly revenue was up 106.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that BP will post 5.96 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in BP in the first quarter worth $39,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of BP in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of BP by 76.2% in the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in BP in the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in BP by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,808 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.