BP's Chief Executive Bernard Looney has stepped down with immediate effect.
Mr Looney has admitted to misleading the Board over disclosures relating to personal relationships with colleagues.
Murray Auchincloss, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, will take the helm on an interim basis. A search for a new permanent CEO is underway.
The shares fell 1.1% following the announcement.
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Our view
The sudden departure of BP's CEO leaves a large void to fill. Looney has made big strides in driving the group's green energy plans forward. Until a successor emerges it will be difficult to call what direction BP will take at this pivotal time, and any prolonged uncertainty is likely to weigh on investor sentiment.
Lower oil prices in the first half of this year have hurt BP's cash flows. However, a sharp rebound in prices so far in the second half could see things improve. Supply constraints are providing some support for energy commodities but continuing macroeconomic uncertainty means there could still be ups and downs.
Despite the rocky start to the year, consensus forecasts suggest that BP's capital investment plans are well covered, leaving ample room to increase dividends modestly and continue buying back shares. Assuming an oil price of $60 per barrel, some way below the current price, BP's should have room to grow dividends by around 4% this year. But of course, this can't be guaranteed.
Lower levels of cash generation could mean a pause in the impressive reduction in debt levels seen over recent years. But with net debt at about 0.5x forecasted cash profit we're not too concerned.
Oil & gas assets remain the key drivers of cash flow for now and underlying production is set to increase by 2025. But there is growing pressure globally for more meaningful windfall taxes on the currently inflated oil and gas profits. This is a risk to BP's ability to sustain such high cash flows, and the recently introduced UK energy profits levy on its North Sea operations saw the underlying tax rate rise from 29% to 43% in the second quarter of 2023.
Looking further ahead, BP has big plans to increase exposure to renewable and lower carbon energy sources but it's proving harder than expected to wean off the black stuff. Its carbon emission reduction target from 2019 to 2030 for oil and gas production has been reduced to 20-30%. The prior target was 35-40%.
This is unlikely to sit well with responsible investors and also poses a risk to BP's longer-term valuation if mainstream investors can't be convinced of its ESG credentials.
BP's valuation remains some way below the long-term average. In our opinion, this reflects investor concern over the long-term outlook for the oil & gas industry. In BP's case there's little chance of further assurance whilst the top job remains unfilled.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk
Environmental concerns are the primary driver of ESG risk for oil and gas producers, with carbon emissions and waste disposal being the main issues. Health and safety, community relations and ethical governance are also contributors to ESG risk.
According to data from Sustainalytics, BP's overall management of material ESG issues is strong. It appears to have strong oversight over its key ESG issue. Notably, the company aims to reach net zero emissions across its entire operations (scopes 1 and 2) and upstream operations (scope 3) on an absolute basis by 2050. But nearer-term reduction targets for scope 3 emissions have recently been lowered. Moreover, BP has committed to reducing the carbon intensity of its products to net zero by 2050. However, controversies relating to environmental breaches continue to have a moderate impact on BP's overall performance.
ESG data sourced from Sustainalytics
BP key facts
All ratios are sourced from Refinitiv. Please remember yields are variable and not a reliable indicator of future income. Keep in mind key figures shouldn't be looked at on their own - it's important to understand the big picture.
This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by Refinitiv. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss.
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