BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) Stock Short Interest Report for October

Posted by Francis Steltz on Nov 3rd, 2026

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 8,345,856 shares, a growth of 61.8% from the September 30th total of 5,157,897 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 9,316,677 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BP shares. Zacks Research upgraded BP from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. BTIG Research cut shares of BP to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Freedom Capital raised shares of BP from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BP from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Evercore raised shares of BP to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.90.

View Our Latest Research Report on BP

Key Stories Impacting BP

Here are the key news stories impacting BP this week:

Positive Sentiment: Castrol sale strengthens the balance sheet: BP completed the sale of a 65% controlling stake in Castrol to Stonepeak for approximately $6 billion. BP plans to use the proceeds to reduce debt while retaining a minority interest in the lubricants business. The transaction supports BP’s strategic reset and deleveraging efforts. BP Completes $6 Billion Castrol Sale as Stonepeak Takes Control
Positive Sentiment: Debt reduction remains a key focus: BP highlighted approximately $8.4 billion of debt reduction, the Castrol proceeds and additional cost savings during its third-quarter earnings call, potentially improving financial flexibility and investor confidence. BP Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Balance Sheet and Strategic Reset
Positive Sentiment: EV-charging expansion: BP pulse said more than 850 U.S. fast chargers will be easier to use, a customer-experience improvement that could support utilization and BP’s lower-carbon growth strategy. bp pulse makes 850+ EV fast chargers easier to use in the US
Positive Sentiment: Income appeal and analyst support: BP maintained a quarterly dividend of $0.5196 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.08 payout, while RBC raised its price target to 720 pence and retained an “Outperform” rating.
Neutral Sentiment: BP’s shares have outperformed some oil-and-gas peers this year, and valuation metrics remain supportive, but the comparisons do not directly address near-term earnings momentum.
Negative Sentiment: Near-term recovery concerns remain: BP’s earnings-call discussion cited elevated liabilities and fourth-quarter headwinds. Investors may also be concerned that selling control of Castrol reduces BP’s exposure to a recurring earnings contributor, making the balance-sheet benefit dependent on successful debt reduction and execution of the strategic reset.

BP Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:BP opened at $47.70 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $46.03 and a 200 day moving average of $42.96. BP has a 52 week low of $33.22 and a 52 week high of $51.49.

BP (NYSE:BP – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 30th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $68.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.14 billion. BP had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 41.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that BP will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

BP Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.5196 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. BP’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BP

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Plancorp LLC lifted its position in BP by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 7,919 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC boosted its stake in BP by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 11,221 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of BP by 29.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 169,691 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $7,465,000 after purchasing an additional 38,372 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BP by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 27,389 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $1,219,000 after purchasing an additional 2,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. raised its stake in shares of BP by 29.2% in the third quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 13,063 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 2,950 shares during the last quarter. 11.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About BP

(Get Free Report)

BP p.l.c. is a global integrated energy company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its operations span the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas, as well as the processing, refining, transportation and marketing of energy products.

Through its businesses, BP supplies fuels for road transportation, aviation and marine use, along with lubricants marketed under the Castrol brand. The company also operates retail fuel and convenience locations and provides energy products and services to commercial and industrial customers.

BP has expanded its activities beyond traditional hydrocarbons to include lower-carbon businesses such as renewable power, bioenergy, electric-vehicle charging and hydrogen.