BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Short Interest Update

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 10,900,653 shares, a growth of 18.7% from the March 31st total of 9,180,581 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,615,752 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

BP Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BP traded down $0.99 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $46.39. The stock had a trading volume of 11,777,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,141,934. BP has a 1 year low of $27.51 and a 1 year high of $48.27. The company has a market capitalization of $121.48 billion, a PE ratio of 38.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

BP (NYSE:BP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.24. BP had a net margin of 1.62% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The business had revenue of $52.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.53 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BP will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BP Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.4992 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. BP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 165.00%.

Institutional Trading of BP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in BP by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 2,038 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp boosted its position in shares of BP by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 3,933 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of BP by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,597 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. boosted its position in shares of BP by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 36,721 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Finally, United Community Bank raised its holdings in shares of BP by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 29,456 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. 11.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of BP from $39.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of BP from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore set a $38.00 price target on BP and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group upgraded BP from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BP in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BP has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.39.

Key BP News

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.