Milford Funds Ltd. Invests $8.34 Million in BP p.l.c. $BP

Milford Funds Ltd. purchased a new position in BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 240,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,335,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BP. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT purchased a new stake in shares of BP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,890,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in shares of BP in the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,768,000. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of BP by 3,119.8% in the 4th quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 66,553 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $2,311,000 after purchasing an additional 64,486 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of BP during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,352,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BP during the 4th quarter worth approximately $891,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.01% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BP began commercial gas production at the ACG field in Azerbaijan, reinforcing near-term output growth and supporting the company’s upstream earnings profile. BP Commences Commercial Production of Gas at ACG Field in Azerbaijan
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for BP, signaling improved earnings expectations and analyst confidence in the company’s outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Separate commentary from analysts highlighted BP’s stronger balance sheet, a supportive commodity backdrop, and more than 30% upside potential, which may be helping sentiment around the stock. BP shares tipped for upside supported by highly supportive trading environment
• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil prices earlier this week were seen boosting BP’s upstream business and discovery pipeline, which can improve cash flow and earnings. How Elevated Oil Prices are Boosting BP’s Energy Business
• Neutral Sentiment: BP reportedly started a process to sell stakes in two Gulf of Mexico projects, a move that could sharpen the portfolio but also signals ongoing asset reshuffling under the new leadership team. BP starts process to sell stakes in two Gulf of Mexico projects, sources say
• Negative Sentiment: Brent crude fell sharply on easing geopolitical fears, which can pressure BP’s earnings outlook because weaker oil prices reduce upstream profitability. FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump over 100 points on peace deal hopes, sending oil below $87
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investor investigation into BP, adding a potential legal and reputational headwind for the stock. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BP p.l.c. – BP

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of BP from $39.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group upgraded shares of BP from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of BP from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of BP from $41.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BP from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.14.

BP Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of BP stock opened at $42.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. BP p.l.c. has a 12-month low of $29.58 and a 12-month high of $48.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.60, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.14. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $44.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.38.

BP (NYSE:BP) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. BP had a net margin of 1.62% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The business had revenue of $52.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. BP’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that BP p.l.c. will post 5.37 EPS for the current year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.4992 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. BP’s dividend payout ratio is 165.00%.

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.