BP faces mounting shareholder pressure as it prepares to publish full-year results this week. Analysts expect weaker profits after oil prices fell for a third straight year. City forecasts put profits near $7.5bn, down from almost $9bn last year. Crude prices dropped below $60 a barrel late in 2025, hurting fourth-quarter earnings.
Incoming chief executive Meg O’Neill will face calls to outline a clear long-term strategy. Investors want clarity after BP reversed parts of its climate strategy and refocused on fossil fuels. Activist shareholders, including Follow This, demand plans for declining oil and gas demand. A new resolution urges BP to rein in future fossil fuel spending.
BP launched seven new oil and gas projects last year, most delivered early. Citi says BP’s share price recently outperformed European rivals. However, activists argue new projects risk long-term financial weakness as clean energy grows. International Energy Agency expects global oil demand to fall after 2030. Shareholders now want BP to prove it can end years of strategic uncertainty.
