How to buy BP shares

BP p.l.c (BP) is a leading oil & gas integrated business with stocks listed in the UK. It opened the day at £300.95pp after a previous close of £300.85pp. During the day the price has varied from a low of 290.199p to a high of 303.3p. The latest price was 291.75p (25 minute delay). BP is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). All prices are listed in pence sterling.

How to buy shares in BP

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company that's listed outside of Australia, you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to global stock markets. If you're just starting out, look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for BP. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: BP. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until BP reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of £315p, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of BP, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of BP. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

BP share price

Use our graph to track the performance of BP stocks over time.

BP shares at a glance

• Live prices
• Key figures

Information last updated 2021-04-20.

Open	300.95p
High	303.3p
Low	290.199p
Close	291.75p
Previous close	300.85p
Change	-9.1p
Change %	-3.0248%
Volume	50,446,936

Information last updated 2021-04-13.

52-week range	188.4374p - 376.3154p
50-day moving average	302.9292p
200-day moving average	264.9441p
Target price	7.99p
PE ratio	20.2373
Dividend yield	0.263p (8.81%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	23.4p

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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy BP stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of BP p.l.c by TradingView

BP price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the last close of 291.75p

1 week (2021-04-13)	-2.18%
1 month (2021-03-19)	-4.87%
3 months (2021-01-20)	-3.67%
6 months (2020-10-20)	41.66%

1 year (2020-04-20)	-3.49%
2 years (2019-04-18)	-48.61%
3 years (2018-04-20)	-43.70%
5 years (2016-04-20)	-19.77%

Is BP under- or over-valued?

Valuing BP stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of BP's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

BP's P/E ratio

BP's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 20x. In other words, BP shares trade at around 20x recent earnings.

That's comparable to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the FTSE 250 at the end of September 2019 (19.71).

BP's PEG ratio

BP's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 0.43. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into BP's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

BP's EBITDA

BP's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is £12.3 billion.

The EBITDA is a measure of a BP's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

BP financials

Revenue TTM	£180.1 billion
Gross profit TTM	£25.8 billion
Return on assets TTM	-4.88%
Return on equity TTM	-22.26%
Profit margin	-11.27%
Book value	3.515p
Market capitalisation	£60.7 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

BP's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like BP.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

BP's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 39.4

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and BP's overall score of 39.4 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 82nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like BP is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

BP's environmental score

Environmental score: 21.01/100

BP's environmental score of 21.01 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that BP is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

BP's social score

Social score: 11.95/100

BP's social score of 11.95 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that BP is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

BP's governance score

Governance score: 11.44/100

BP's governance score puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that BP is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

BP's controversy score

Controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. BP scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that BP has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

BP p.l.c was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score	39.4
Total ESG percentile	81.56
Environmental score	21.01
Environmental score percentile	4
Social score	11.95
Social score percentile	4
Governance score	11.44
Governance score percentile	4
Level of controversy	2

BP share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 7.72% of net profits

Recently BP has paid out, on average, around 7.72% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 5.05% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), BP shareholders could enjoy a 5.05% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In BP's case, that would currently equate to about 0.263p per share.

While BP's payout ratio might seem low, this can signify that BP is investing more in its future growth.

The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 17 February 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have BP's shares ever split?

BP's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 3 October 1999. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your BP shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for BP shares which in turn could have impacted BP's share price.

BP share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, BP's shares have ranged in value from as little as £188.4374 up to £376.3154. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (LSE average) beta is 1, while BP's is 0.7874. This would suggest that BP's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

BP overview

BP p.l.c. engages in the energy business worldwide. It operates through Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, Customers & Products, and Rosneft segments. It produces and trades in natural gas; offers biofuels; operates onshore and offshore wind power, and solar power generating facilities; and provides de-carbonization solutions and services, such as hydrogen, and carbon capture, usage and storage. The company is also involved in the convenience and mobility business, which manages the sale of fuels to wholesale and retail customers, convenience products, aviation fuels, and Castrol lubricants; and refining, supply, and trading of oil products, as well as operation of electric vehicle charging facilities. In addition, it produces and refines oil and gas; and invests in upstream, downstream, and alternative energy companies, as well as in advanced mobility, bio and low carbon products, carbon management, digital transformation, and power and storage areas. BP p.l.c. was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of BP is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 1.119% of BP shares are held by insiders and 30.297% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for BP?

  BP's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is BP based?

  BP's address is: 1 St James's Square, London, United Kingdom, SW1Y 4PD

• What is BP's ISIN number?

  BP's international securities identification number is: GB0007980591