Often, a company will start to make changes over the years to better respond to consumer tastes. If those tastes are cyclical, they may change back over time. Or companies may discover that those tastes are too costly to serve.
That can lead to a company restructuring on what has been its core strength. This is seen every few years with fast food companies, as they expand menus, only to contract them again in time.
Other sectors have their versions as well. Energy companies have diversified out of fossil fuel production in recent years. But green energy is proving more difficult to economically scale.
Shares are flat over the past year, as energy has been an out-of-favor sector with the market. But BP has been profitable, and shares trade at a reasonable 7 times earnings.
Action to take: At current prices, BP pays a 4.9 percent dividend. And shares look ready to trend higher with energy prices, as oil keeps bouncing higher when it hits the low $70 range. That makes BP shares worth accumulating at current prices.
For traders, the April $37 calls, last going for about $0.57, could see high double-digit returns, depending on how high shares trend in the coming months.
Disclosure: The author of this article has no position in the company mentioned here, but may trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any company mentioned in this article.