Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Decreases Stake in BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL trimmed its position in BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP - Free Report) by 13.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 73,241 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 11,846 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL's holdings in BP were worth $2,165,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BP. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of BP during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Bank & Trust Co boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of BP by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of BP by 58.7% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of BP by 1,867.9% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 7,970 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 7,565 shares in the last quarter. 11.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BP Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE BP traded down $0.02 on Friday, reaching $33.11. 8,714,473 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,226,646. BP p.l.c. has a fifty-two week low of $27.82 and a fifty-two week high of $40.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.82 and a 200 day moving average of $31.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.63 billion, a PE ratio of 413.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.64.

BP (NYSE:BP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 research analysts forecast that BP p.l.c. will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. BP's payout ratio is currently 2,375.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on BP. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of BP in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wolfe Research set a $50.00 price objective on shares of BP in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of BP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. DZ Bank lowered shares of BP from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of BP from $34.70 to $31.80 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.76.

BP Profile

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.