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Elliot increases bp stake to 5% as it pushes reset strategy

Mitchell Ferman, Bloomberg April 22, 2025

(Bloomberg) 鈥 Elliott Investment Management has built up its stake in bp Plc to just over 5% of shares, as the activist investor continues its pressure campaign at the struggling oil giant.

The stake, disclosed in a regulatory filing on Tuesday, would make Elliott one of bp's largest shareholders, on par with Vanguard Group Inc., according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A spokesman for the oil company said it was notified by Elliott of the 5% holding and does not comment on individual shareholdings.

鈥淓ight weeks ago, we announced a fundamentally reset strategy, and our focus now is on delivering that at pace,鈥 spokesman David Nicholas said in an emailed statement. 鈥淲e welcome constructive feedback from all shareholders as we focus on delivering.鈥澛

Elliott is pushing bp to prioritize achieving $20 billion in annual free cash flow by 2027, 40% higher than the company鈥檚 current target, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The activist is also pushing for further spending reductions, the FT reported.

bp's shares initially surged聽after Bloomberg聽first reported聽Elliott鈥檚 involvement in February, with the activist pushing for transformative measures to turn around its weak performance relative to peers. But the company has fallen over the last two months as oil prices plunged and the strategy reset received a lukewarm response from investors,聽falling short聽of Elliott鈥檚 expectations.

The slump in crude prices since U.S. President Donald Trump launched his trade war has left bp's financial plans looking shaky. One key requirement of the company鈥檚 target for boosting cash flow and improving returns was an oil price of $70 a barrel, which is above current levels.聽

bp's market valuation has plunged to below 拢57 billion ($76 billion), less than half that of its closest peer Shell Plc.

The UK major鈥檚 retreat from its energy transition plans and refocus on fossil fuels has also made climate-focused investors unhappy. Legal & General Group Plc, a top-10 investor in the oil major, is 鈥渄eeply concerned by the recent substantive revisions made to the company鈥檚 strategy鈥 and the impact on climate commitments, according to a post on its聽website.

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