BP (NYSE:BP) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

BP (NYSE:BP) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on BP. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BP in a report on Thursday, January 8th. HSBC upgraded shares of BP from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $35.10 to $45.30 in a report on Friday, March 20th. Scotiabank raised their price target 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of BP from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $49.40 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of BP from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.39.

BP Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BP opened at $46.39 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.68. The firm has a market cap of $121.48 billion, a PE ratio of 38.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.18. BP has a 1 year low of $27.51 and a 1 year high of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

BP (NYSE:BP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $52.26 billion during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.53 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that BP will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of BP

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of BP during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,352,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of BP by 22.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 127,792 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $4,553,000 after buying an additional 23,166 shares during the period. United Community Bank grew its position in shares of BP by 173.8% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 29,086 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $1,002,000 after buying an additional 18,463 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BP during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $793,000. Finally, Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in BP in the 3rd quarter valued at $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BP posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results and revenue growth, which supports earnings momentum and cash generation. Results: BP p.l.c. Exceeded Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts (Erste Group) recently raised FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts for BP, signaling improved earnings visibility that can support the stock over time. MarketBeat – BP Research
• Positive Sentiment: Brent crude has surged on Middle East escalation fears, boosting sector revenue prospects and providing a tailwind to BP’s upstream margins. Shell and BP rise as Brent surges
• Positive Sentiment: BP signed a preliminary MoU with Venezuela on the Cocuina-Manakin offshore gas project, opening a potential growth avenue in gas. BP signs MoU with Venezuela
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro commentary suggests oil markets are again driving the economic narrative, which benefits integrated energy names like BP but also increases cyclical volatility. Oil replacing interest rates
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports say BP is reviewing UK North Sea assets and may sell or exit part/all operations as the new CEO evaluates high windfall taxes — this creates near-term uncertainty, could trigger asset sales at discounted prices, and risks write-downs. BP Reviews UK North Sea Assets (Bloomberg) BP considers exit – Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: An operational incident (flares) at a BP refinery drew regulator attention — a reminder of operational and regulatory risks that can affect costs and near-term sentiment. Flares at BP refinery

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.