Which Is a Better Investment, BP plc (ADR) or Imperial Oil Ltd (USA) Stock?

By AAII Staff
September 03, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Imperial Oil Limited or BP p.l.c. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c.

Imperial Oil Limited engages in exploration, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas in Canada. The company operates in three segments: Upstream, Downstream and Chemical segments. The Upstream segment explores and produces crude oil, natural gas, synthetic crude oil, and bitumen. The Downstream segment transports and refines crude oil; blends refined products; and distributes and markets refined products. This segment also transports crude oil production and third-party crude oil to refineries by contracted and common carrier pipelines; owns and operates refineries; maintains a distribution system to move petroleum products to market by pipeline, tanker, rail, and road transport; owns and operates fuel terminals, natural gas liquids, and products pipelines in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario; markets petroleum products under the Esso and Mobil brands; and sells petroleum products, including fuel, asphalt, and lubricants to industrial and transportation customers, independent marketers, resellers, and other refiners, as well as the agriculture, residential heating, and commercial markets through branded fuel and lubricant resellers. The Chemical segment manufactures and markets aliphatic solvents, plasticizer intermediates, and polyethylene resins; and markets refinery grade propylene. It also provides petrochemicals. The company was incorporated in 1880 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Imperial Oil Limited operates as a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

BP p.l.c., an integrated energy company, engages in the oil and gas business worldwide. The company operates through Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, and Customers & Products segments. It engages in the production of natural gas, marketing, and trading activities, as well as solar, wind, and hydrogen businesses. The company also offers aviation fuel products and services, such as jet fuel; aviation gasoline; UL91 aviation fuel; and sustainable aviation fuel. In addition, it engages in the convenience and retail fuel; EV charging; Castrol lubricants and fluids; B2B; midstream; crude oil production; refining and oil trading; and bioenergy businesses. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Latest Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and Imperial Oil Limited, BP p.l.c. Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Imperial Oil Limited had a $64.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels median of $2.7 million. Imperial Oil Limited’s stock is up 53.5% in 2026, up 0.2% in the previous five trading days and up 49.56% in the past year.

Currently, Imperial Oil Limited’s price-earnings ratio is 22.4. Imperial Oil Limited’s trailing 12-month revenue is $36.4 billion with a 8.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 36.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $10.489 per share for the current fiscal year. Imperial Oil Limited currently has a 2.6% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, BP p.l.c. had a $113.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 97th percentile of all stocks. BP p.l.c.’s stock is up 26.2% in 2026, up 3.5% in the previous five trading days and up 24.7% in the past year.

Currently, BP p.l.c.’s price-earnings ratio is 127.3. BP p.l.c.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $215.5 billion with a 2.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 48.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.310 per share for the current fiscal year. BP p.l.c. currently has a 4.7% dividend yield.

How We Compare Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c. Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Imperial Oil Limited IMO C
BP p.l.c. BP B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Imperial Oil Limited has a Growth Score of 48, which is Average. BP p.l.c. has a Growth Score of 64, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: BP p.l.c.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, BP p.l.c. has a more attractive growth grade than Imperial Oil Limited. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, BP p.l.c. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Imperial Oil Limited IMO B
BP p.l.c. BP C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Imperial Oil Limited has a Momentum Score of 73, which is Strong. BP p.l.c. has a Momentum Score of 56, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Imperial Oil Limited

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Imperial Oil Limited is considered to have stronger momentum compared to BP p.l.c.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Imperial Oil Limited could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Imperial Oil Limited IMO D
BP p.l.c. BP B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Imperial Oil Limited has a Earnings Estimate Score of 39, which is Negative. BP p.l.c. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 73, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: BP p.l.c.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, BP p.l.c. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Imperial Oil Limited. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, BP p.l.c. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

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Other Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Growth and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

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Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Imperial Oil Limited or BP p.l.c. Stock?

Overall, Imperial Oil Limited stock has a Growth Score of 48, Momentum Score of 73 and Estimate Revisions Score of 39.

BP p.l.c. stock has a Growth Score of 64, Momentum Score of 56 and Estimate Revisions Score of 73.

Comparing Imperial Oil Limited and BP p.l.c.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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