Rep. Bruce Westerman Buys BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Stock

Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) recently bought shares of BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP). In a filing disclosed on April 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in BP stock on March 21st. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FISHER IRA” account.

Representative Bruce Westerman also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (OTCMKTS:LVMUY) on 4/2/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Sony Group (NYSE:SONY) on 3/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE:MUFG) on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) on 3/20/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Visa (NYSE:V) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on 3/20/2025.

BP Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE BP traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $28.30. 8,918,893 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,547,031. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 353.78, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.41. BP p.l.c. has a twelve month low of $25.22 and a twelve month high of $39.73.

BP (NYSE:BP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.12). BP had a return on equity of 10.96% and a net margin of 0.20%. As a group, equities analysts expect that BP p.l.c. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

BP Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. BP’s payout ratio is currently 2,375.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on BP from $34.70 to $31.80 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. DZ Bank cut shares of BP from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded BP from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $36.00 price target (down previously from $40.00) on shares of BP in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on shares of BP from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $36.73.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BP

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in BP in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its position in BP by 400.0% during the first quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in BP during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in 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 valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. 11.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Westerman

Bruce Westerman (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Westerman (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Westerman earned his BSBAGE in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1990 and his MF in forestry from Yale University in 2001. His professional experience includes working as a plant engineer for Riceland Foods and an engineer/forester for Mid-South Engineering Company.

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.