BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.00.

Several analysts have issued reports on BHP shares. Citigroup raised BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com cut BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Liberum Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of BHP Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th.

BHP Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BHP opened at $56.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.22. BHP Group has a 12-month low of $54.28 and a 12-month high of $69.11.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $1.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%.

Institutional Trading of BHP Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BHP. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in BHP Group in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in BHP Group in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. WFA Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in BHP Group in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Viking Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in BHP Group in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in BHP Group by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 639 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

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.