15 Recent Activist Investor Campaigns

7. BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP)

Value of Stake: $5 billion

Elliott Management Activist Campaign Initiated: February 2025

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) is an integrated energy company that delivers heat, light, and mobility products and services. After years of underperformance, the company has come under immense pressure from an active investor,  Elliott Management, having built a significant stake in its stock. BP has underperformed its peers over the past five years, a disappointment attributed to its 2020 plan of focusing on renewable business while cutting oil and gas production.

The activist hedge fund aims to reset the company’s strategy, including calls to exit the renewable energy business and increase focus on the more lucrative oil and gas business. Elliott Management has already met several large shareholders at the integrated oil and gas company as it tries to forge a consensus for significant changes. Part of the changes that the hedge fund wants include cost cuts and considerable management changes.

Elliott Management also wants BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) to slash its spending to below $13 billion to bolster its profit margins. On its part, the oil and gas giants intend to spend between $13 and $15 billion and cut costs by between $4 and $5 billion through 2027. In addition to cost cuts, Elliott also wants BP to consider a potential sale of its petrol station network and exit the renewable power generation business.