Where does the name BP come from?

The BP Group wasn’t always called by this name. In fact, this British company specialised in the exploration, extraction, refinery and sale of crude oil and various derived products was actually created in 1909 under the name the Anglo Persian Oil Company, or APOC. Later, in 1935 it changed its name to the Anglo Iranian Oil Company, or the AIOC. This company changed its name again in 1954 and became the British Petroleum Company before another change to BP Amoco in 2001 before finally becoming BP.

On which stock markets is the BP share price quoted?

BP Group shares are in fact not quoted on a single market but several stock markets due to this group’s international status. Therefore we can find the quotation for this asset on the London Stock Exchange under the initials BP, and the Frankfurt stock market under the initials BPE, also on the New York Stock Exchange under the initials BP, and the Tokyo stock market under the number 5051.

What are the major subsidiaries owned by the BP Group?

The BP Group owns a number of subsidiary companies that operate around the world that have enabled this group to achieve its current position on the market. The major current subsidiaries of this large group include BP Europa SE, BP Exploration in Alaska, BP Gas Europe, BP Norge, the Atlantic Richfield Company, Amoco, Castrol India and Bahia of Bizkaia Electricidad.

Buying shares in the BP petroleum company

Information relating to the BP petroleum company:

The BP petroleum company is an English group and is actually one of the leaders in the oil and gas sector. However its main activities are actually diversified to a certain extent as follows:

The largest part of this company’s turnover is generated by its oil refinery and distribution activities which in fact account for 91.5%. This represents 7 million barrels of crude and refined oil which are sold every day by this company. At present the group operates no less than 14 refineries including three in the United States, and it owns and operates over 17,000 service stations around the world.

Another smaller part of its turnover, 8.1% to be more exact, is generated through the exploration and production of hydrocarbons including oil with 844,000 barrels per day and natural gas with 158.1 million cubic metres per day.

BP generates over half its turnover internationally.

The shares of the BP petroleum company are quoted on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and are included in the FTSE 100 stock market index. In 2014 the company achieved a turnover of no less than 323,620,192,000 Euros.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the BP Group in its market sector?

To better understand how the BP Group could grow over time and therefore be aware of its growth capabilities and challenges it is important to have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the company’s major strengths and weaknesses, notably as related to its principal competitors.

Let us start here by examining the major strengths of the BP Group at present which could boost its growth. Among these we can of course cite the fact that BP is currently one of the leaders in its sector and the energy sector worldwide. Due to this the company possesses a strong trading position with a major brand name.

Another clear advantage of the BP Group relates of course to its development on an international level. In fact, over time, BP has succeeded in positioning itself well in a number of markets and currently operates worldwide. BP is in fact present in numerous countries which protects the company from risks related to particular geographical or segmental economic crises.

The BP brand name is also one of its strengths as it benefits from a positive image with the general public and is renowned worldwide.

Finally, apart from the high quality of the BP Company operations, we also appreciate the current efforts this company is making to position itself in new energy sectors other than that of oil. In fact, BP is currently heavily increasing its investments in various related sectors such as renewable energy in anticipation of a possible future crude oil crisis.

Although the BP Group possesses a number of strong points that enable the company to position itself against the competition, it still has certain weak points that should be taken into consideration before trying to anticipate future movements in its share price.

One of the major weak points of this group relates to the environment and more precisely the environmental risks. In fact, although BP currently succeeds in meeting its economical challenges, the cost management of such risks is quite significant and even now weighs heavily on the group’s finances.

Another weak point of the BP Company relates this time to the company’s drop in oil production that we can observe over recent years. This lowering of productivity is partly due to a drop in demand but particularly and above all to growth difficulties in the exploration and search for new drilling wells.

Among this company’s weak points we could also note here that fact that this company faces strong competition from other giants in the petroleum and oil sectors. The major petroleum companies are always battling to gain a larger market share to improve their renown and increase profitability, and as the BP Group is not one of the leaders in this sector its position is particularly precarious.

Finally we should also mention here the fact that this company seems to have reached maturity. This means that the BP Group has grown strongly since its creation up to now however we note its progressively weak margins except when it has changed its strategy or its main activities.

Although these advantages and disadvantages of the BP Company can be advantageous to take into account when analysing the company’s share price it is also important to verify details for any updates before using any information.

Buying shares in the BP petroleum company

Frequently Asked Questions

Information relating to the BP petroleum company:

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the BP Group in its market sector?