BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Short Interest Up 71.7% in December

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 11,309,909 shares, a growth of 71.7% from the December 15th total of 6,585,455 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 7,944,827 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 7,944,827 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

BP Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BP traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.38. 5,279,896 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,396,491. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $92.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.33. BP has a 1-year low of $25.22 and a 1-year high of $37.64.

BP (NYSE:BP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $48.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.76 billion. BP had a net margin of 0.79% and a return on equity of 9.07%. BP’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that BP will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BP Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a $0.4992 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. This is a boost from BP’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. BP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 341.38%.

Key Stories Impacting BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BP (via partner JERA Nex BP) is consolidating its position in UK offshore wind by buying EnBW’s stake in the Mona project and signing a lease for the facility — a strategic renewables expansion that supports long-term low-carbon growth. JERA Nex BP to buy EnBW’s stake in UK’s Mona offshore wind project
• Positive Sentiment: BP and Corteva (CTVA) formed a 50-50 JV, Etlas, to scale oilseed production for SAF and renewable diesel feedstock — supports BP’s fuel decarbonization strategy and future revenue from low-carbon fuels. BP & CTVA Partner to Form Etlas JV for Biofuel Feedstock Supply
• Positive Sentiment: Market reports highlight BP’s progress cutting a “hefty” debt pile, which reduces financial risk and supports capital allocation flexibility — a near-term positive for investor sentiment. BP rises after making progress cutting hefty debt pile
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts note BP may hold up better than peers if oil prices remain weak, given diversified operations and renewables exposure — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Weak Oil Prices Loom: 3 Integrated Energy Stocks That Could Hold Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Several investor-education pieces and trend-watch articles point to increased attention on BP from retail and institutional audiences — signals of interest but not firm-specific new fundamentals. BP p.l.c. (BP) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks pieces promoting short-term opportunities in oil & energy names reference BP among ideas — these are thematic and not new company-specific catalysts. Why Investors Need to Take Advantage of These 2 Oils and Energy Stocks Now
• Negative Sentiment: BP’s trading update flagged weaker price realizations and disclosed large impairments (including a reported $5B green-energy write-off), which pressure near-term earnings despite a sharp drop in net debt. BP Expects Q4 Upstream Production to Be In Line Sequentially
• Negative Sentiment: Citi sees BP’s fourth-quarter trading statement as operationally in line but warns of near-term earnings headwinds — reinforces analyst caution on near-term profit momentum. BP faces near-term earnings headwinds – Citi
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage summarized BP’s $5 billion green-energy write-off and weak oil trading commentary, which weigh on reported profitability and investor expectations for near-term free cash flow. BP reveals $5 billion write-off in green energy, points to ‘weak’ oil trading

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. grew its position in shares of BP by 24.1% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 14,939 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $519,000 after purchasing an additional 2,899 shares during the last quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. increased its stake in shares of BP by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 145,949 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $5,069,000 after purchasing an additional 4,373 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its stake in BP by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 36,721 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in BP during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of BP in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of BP from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Scotiabank set a $41.00 price objective on shares of BP in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of BP from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of BP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BP currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.54.

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.