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☆ Activist Bluebell believes BP is 50% undervalued compared to peers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The company's segments include gas & low-carbon energy, oil production & operations and customers & products. Its gas business includes upstream activities that produce natural gas, integrated gas and power, and gas trading. Its oil production & operations segment comprises upstream activities that produce crude oil, including Bpx Energy. As of Bluebell's October 4, 2023, letter to BP, BP traded on a price-earnings ratio of 6.7 times, a 44% discount to Chevron and ExxonMobil, which on average traded at 12 times. To make it even clearer how the market views BP's strategy, on February 7, 2023, when BP announced its partial retracement from this strategy, BP's share price rose 8% on the day and 17% on the week.

Persons: Giuseppe Bivona, Marco Taricco, Bivona, –, Helge Lund, Bluebell, BP's, Bernard Looney, Shell, Looney's, Looney, Pamela Daley, Solvay, Glencore, Ken Squire Organizations: BP Bunge, Bpx Energy, Castrol, Bluebell Capital Partners, Bluebell Partners, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Bluebell, International Energy Agency, EV, Exxon, Shell, Mr, Renewables, Power, BP's Board, BlackRock, 13D Locations: bioenergy, Europe, Bluebell, Paris, Bioenergy, United States, U.S

☆ One activist investor is taking on BP, urging the oil giant to scale back green pledges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

And on that front, we are not asking BP to renege on its strategy, but to adapt its strategy to the reality." Auchincloss has since been appointed as permanent CEO of the British oil and gas major. In response to the publication of the letter, a spokesperson for BP said the company "welcomes constructive engagement" with its shareholders. We continue to make significant progress, remain focused on delivery, and are confident the strategy will grow the value of bp and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders," BP said. Bivona declined to disclose Bluebell's stake in BP, saying that it was below a reporting threshold.

Persons: Giuseppe Bivona, Bivona, CNBC's, Bivone, Marco Taricco, Helge Lund, Murray Auchincloss, Auchincloss Organizations: Capital Partners, BP, Financial, Danone Locations: Bluebell, London

☆ BP appoints Murray Auchincloss as permanent CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BP CEO Murray Auchincloss speaks at the panel dicscussion during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference held at ADNEC Exhibition Center on October 2, 2023. LONDON — Oil and gas major BP appointed Murray Auchincloss as permanent CEO, the company said Wednesday. The energy company said it carried out a search process to appoint the new company boss since September. "It's an honour to lead BP — this is a great company with great people. Our strategy — from international oil company to integrated energy company, or IOC to IEC — does not change.

Persons: Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Auchincloss, Murray, Helge Lund, I'm Organizations: Abu, Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, ADNEC, BP, Amoco Canada, IEC Locations: Abu Dhabi

Auchincloss, a 53-year-old Canadian who was BP’s chief financial officer for more than three years, took on the top job in September after Looney's surprise resignation. Auchincloss joined BP when it took over oil firm Amoco in 1998. “Since September, BP’s board has undertaken a thorough and highly competitive process to identify BP’s next CEO, considering a number of high-caliber candidates in detail,” BP chairman Helge Lund said. He was denied 32.4 million-pound ($41 million) worth of salary, pension, bonus payments and shares, after BP said he had committed “serious misconduct” by misleading the board. BP has had four different bosses over the past 15 years.

Persons: Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney, Looney's, Auchincloss, BP’s, ”, Helge Lund, Lund, ” Auchincloss, Charlie Kronick, ” Kronick, ” Looney, Bob Dudley Organizations: BP, Amoco, RBC Capital Markets, Greenpeace Locations: “, Gulf of Mexico

[1/2] The BP logo is seen on gasoline pumps at a BP gas station in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - BP's (BP.L) top executive in the United States, Dave Lawler, is leaving the company, the energy company said on Friday in a memo to employees, less than three weeks after the company's chief executive, Bernard Looney, resigned. He is the younger brother of Doug Lawler, chief executive of Continental Resources, another large U.S. shale oil and gas producer. BPX operations in Texas and Louisiana last year produced an average of 325,000 barrels of oil and gas per day. Alvarez, who joined the company in 1996, will continue in his role as senior vice president gas and power trading, Americas.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Dave Lawler, Bernard Looney, Helge Lund, Lawler, Doug Lawler, Orlando Alvarez, Alvarez, Kyle Koontz, Ron Bousso, Juby Babu, Shilpi Majumdar, Daniel Wallis, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, BP, Energy, Continental Resources, Reuters, BP America, BPX Energy, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, United States, Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, BP America, Americas, London, Bengaluru

☆ BP succession fail puts spotlight on its board
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But the surprise departure of former leader Bernard Looney the previous day reflects poorly on the company’s board. Looney’s resignation, after failing to fully disclose details of past relationships with colleagues, appears to have caught BP by surprise. That’s embarrassing for the board, whose responsibilities include planning for succession in case something happens to the CEO. Auchincloss told staff in a brief town hall meeting on Sept. 13 that the company’s aims were unchanged. And our focus remains on performance – quarter by quarter,” Auchincloss, who was previously chief financial officer, told staff, according to a company spokesperson.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Murray Auchincloss, Helge Lund, Bernard Looney, Debra Crew, Ivan Menezes, Looney, John Browne’s, Browne, Tony Hayward, Hayward, Lund, Bernard Looney’s, Auchincloss, hasn’t, ” Auchincloss, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Interim, Diageo, BP, Irish, Thomson Locations: British

BP scaled back its energy transition strategy earlier this year but still stands out among rivals as the only oil major with plans to cut oil and gas output by 2030 by 25%. Auchincloss told staff in a brief town hall meeting on Wednesday that the company's aims were unchanged. As part of his energy transition strategy he had committed to BP reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. BP's strategy came under renewed scrutiny after rival Shell (SHEL.L) slowed down its energy transition strategy in June. "(The BP board) have enough flexibility within the current strategy to focus more on cash flow," a second source close to the company said.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Looney, Murray Auchincloss, Bernard Looney's, Auchincloss, hasn't, Helge Lund, Murray, Ron Bousso, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Jane Merriman, Mark Potter, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: BP, REUTERS, Board, Investors, Canadian, Reuters, Shell, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada

BP’s (BP.L) chief executive resigned late on Tuesday after the UK oil giant’s board found he had not been sufficiently transparent about past relationships with company colleagues. While his exit appears unrelated to strategy, it puts Chair Helge Lund and the rest of BP’s board on the spot over the $112 billion group’s future direction. On the face of it, BP’s strategy should be unaffected by Looney’s missteps. While Looney subsequently revised the reduction in hydrocarbons to 25%, BP remained more committed to the energy transition than European rival Shell (SHEL.L) or U.S. giants Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsLund and board colleagues may be minded to do the same.

Persons: Bernard Looney, Helge Lund, Looney’s missteps, Looney, Wael Sawan, Norway’s Equinor, Murray Auchincloss, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Exxon, New Shell, Reuters Graphics, Graphics Lund, International Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Germany, U.S

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) will likely face one of its most acrimonious annual meetings next week as it struggles to balance investor pressure to capture profits from oil and gas and a vocal minority saying it must move faster to tackle climate change. Big Oil firms posted record profits last year amid soaring energy prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That resolution echoes a ruling by a Dutch court telling Shell to adjust its climate targets, which Shell has appealed. It also said it was pleased that proxy advisers ISS and Glass Lewis had recommended votes against the Follow This resolution. The measures, however, did not prevent climate activist participants from heckling and disrupting proceedings before being escorted out, some carried by security staff.

☆ Oil AGMs presage awkward investor decoupling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chair Helge Lund defended a sudden reversal in February to now cut less oil and gas production by 2030. Big Oil had more than doubled its profits in 2022 as energy prices spiked after Western sanctions on Russian energy. Pension investors like the Universities Superannuation Scheme, for example, are strengthening their climate investment policies and targeting board members to drive change. The traditional oil investor base may soon start to question why companies aren’t doing much more in oil and gas, if that’s what drives profitability and market performance. The oil world’s own awkward decoupling is happening fast.

☆ Oil major BP braces itself for shareholder revolt after scaling back its climate targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Dutch group Follow This, a small activist investor and campaign group with stakes in several Big Oil companies, has tabled a resolution at BP's shareholder meeting. It calls on the energy giant to align its climate targets with the landmark Paris climate accord and commit to absolute carbon emissions cuts by 2030. Those emissions cuts, Follow This says, should include emissions generated by customers' use of their oil and gas, known as Scope 3 emissions. Follow This says it expects BP's annual general meeting to be a "contentious" one, warning investors will be "rightfully concerned" about BP dialing back its climate strategy amid an ever-worsening climate crisis. Proxy advisors ISS and Glass Lewis have recommended that shareholders of BP vote against the resolution tabled by Follow This.

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