Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Makes New Investment in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 38,000 shares of the mining company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,360,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in BHP Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in BHP Group by 12.1% during the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 2,135 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the first quarter valued at about $182,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BHP Group by 35.0% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,606 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Finally, Addenda Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of BHP Group by 27.1% during the 1st quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. now owns 112,562 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $6,494,000 after purchasing an additional 23,968 shares during the last quarter. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BHP Group Price Performance

NYSE BHP traded down $0.18 on Thursday, reaching $55.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 604,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,472,896. BHP Group Limited has a 52 week low of $50.90 and a 52 week high of $69.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $140.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $56.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.88.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $1.465 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This is an increase from BHP Group’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $1.44. BHP Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised BHP Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Argus upgraded shares of BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, BHP Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.00.

BHP Group Profile

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, uranium, gold, zinc, lead, molybdenum, silver, iron ore, cobalt, and metallurgical and energy coal.