Principal Securities Inc. Makes New $287,000 Investment in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,208 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in BHP Group in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 56,019 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $3,827,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc boosted its position in shares of BHP Group by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 236,437 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $14,699,000 after buying an additional 90,105 shares during the period. Simmons Bank grew its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 34,462 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $2,354,000 after buying an additional 2,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in BHP Group by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 81,119 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $5,541,000 after buying an additional 27,945 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

BHP Group Price Performance

NYSE BHP opened at $60.02 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $57.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.24. BHP Group Limited has a 1 year low of $54.28 and a 1 year high of $69.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $1.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a yield of 5.2%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BHP shares. StockNews.com cut shares of BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Liberum Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BHP Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BHP Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.00.

About BHP Group

BHP Group Limited operates as a resources company in Australia, Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, the rest of Asia, North America, South America, and internationally. The company operates through Copper, Iron Ore, and Coal segments. It engages in the mining of copper, silver, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, iron ore, and metallurgical and energy coal.