BP PLC (NYSE: BP), the second largest energy company in Europe, is down for the last week, month, quarter, six months, and year of market action.

For 2014, BP PLC is down by nearly 17 percent.

This is the same with other oil and natural gas firms like Chevron (NYSE: CVX), ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), and others in the sector.   The price of oil and natural gas is falling due to declining demand.  In addition, speculators are starting to unwind their positions.  All of those combine to take the price of oil and natural gas; and, by extension, stocks in the sectors to lows.

Which makes companies like BP PLC very attractive to long term investors.

The management of BP PLC has recently announced major changes.  The company is also working it way through the Gulf of Mexico problems.  In the short term, it has not helped the stock price at all.  BP PLC is off by more than 5 percent for the last week, and over 8 percent for the last month.  For the short term, there is not much that will help the stock price of BP PLC.  The forces driving down the price of oil are simply too powerful at the present; and will continue to be in the months ahead.

But, for the long term, BP’s corporate moves should pay off for its shareholders.

What is already rewarding those owning the stock of BP PLC is the 6.23 dividend yield.  Income investors should find this very appealing as it is more than 3 times the average dividend yield for a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (NYSE: SPY).  Earnings-per-share for BP PLC are projected to increase, which is good news for the dividend being protected.   This is shown by how the dividend yield is still strong after all the problems that BP PLC has endued along with the present woes of the energy sector.