What are some current events in your industry? What is the impact of these events on the industry?
Last year, BP PLC became the most infamous energy company of all time due to a disastrous rig explosion and subsequent oil spill. But according to Chief Executive Bob Dudley, the company is making a comeback and has officially hit a "’turning point’ in its efforts to rebound from last year's Deepwater Horizon crisis.” This last year, BP was not able to take advantage of the spike in oil prices (caused by the instability in North Africa) like competitors Royal Dutch and Chevron and the company has suffered immense losses. It was estimated that BP’s total expenses for the accident came to $40 billion. However, their EPS is slowly increasing; although its still a third of what it was before the disaster analysts expected it to peak at 13 this year and stay above 12 for the next few years. BP even posted 35% rise in revenue this quarter. Dudley is assuring the investors that “the low point in production has now been passed” and "most of the big turnarounds this year are complete and production is rising again."
However, many analysts disagree that BP has really reached an inflection point. They believe that BP is “hyping up” its recovery. The real turning point will be once BP has been cleared of any criminal charges (investigation still pending) and has been cleared to begin drilling in the Gulf again.
For now, BP has placed extra emphasis on safety and begun repairing and conducting maintenance programs at nearly 50 of its facilities. They have also revamped their business plan to focus on value instead of volume. More promising yet, a week ago BP was given the go ahead to begin its first offshore oil-exploration since the disaster. Although investing in BP is somewhat risky because the company is still being haunted by the disaster, they are making strong strides towards a complete recovery and are definitely a company to keep a close eye on.
Reference/Original Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204777904576652451227554290.html
BP continues to astound me. They have been through so many ups and downs in the industry due to the gulf spill and the deepwater crisis to name a few, but they STILL seem to keep on top of the energy industry's current earnings. I remember back to the gulf spill, immediately after there was a rise in the investment into their stocks because people had the mindset that it could only rise from their very low points during the crisis itself. It seems to have proven investors correct with BP's forecasted success. Here is the link to a report one year after the spill that explains BP's stock comeback: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42650825/ns/business-us_business/t/one-year-after-spill-bp-looking-strong/
ReplyDeleteI agree! I figured after that oil spill got so much negative attention for so long, that BP was surely done for. As a company they seem to have done everything right in terms of not letting that accident send them into a tailspin. Although I don't think I'll be investing in them personally they are definitely a graceful company whose resourcefulness and resilience should be applauded and noted.
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