BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.72.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BP. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of BP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of BP from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of BP from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of BP from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of BP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $38.60 to $42.30 in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

BP Stock Performance

Shares of BP stock opened at $39.33 on Friday. BP has a fifty-two week low of $33.52 and a fifty-two week high of $40.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $37.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.52.

BP (NYSE:BP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.11. BP had a net margin of 7.15% and a return on equity of 16.00%. The firm had revenue of $52.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $53.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.59 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that BP will post 4.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BP Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 16th were paid a $0.4362 dividend. This represents a $1.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. BP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BP

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in BP in the fourth quarter valued at $123,000. TIAA Trust National Association bought a new stake in shares of BP during the third quarter worth about $1,122,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of BP during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Monograph Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of BP during the third quarter worth about $1,163,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of BP during the fourth quarter worth about $290,000. 11.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.