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

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and four have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.48.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BP shares. DZ Bank cut shares of BP from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wolfe Research set a $50.00 target price on shares of BP in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised BP from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of BP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $36.00 price objective (down previously from $40.00) on shares of BP in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BP

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BP in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in BP during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Bank & Trust Co increased its stake in BP by 404.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 2,120 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of BP by 41.0% during the fourth 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. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of BP by 58.7% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares in the last quarter. 11.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BP Stock Performance

Shares of BP stock opened at $28.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.06 billion, a PE ratio of 354.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. BP has a 12 month low of $27.82 and a 12 month high of $40.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $33.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.36.

BP (NYSE:BP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.12). BP had a net margin of 0.20% and a return on equity of 10.96%. On average, equities analysts expect that BP will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.76%. BP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 2,375.00%.

About BP

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.