Virtu Financial LLC Sells 22,687 Shares of BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BHP)

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC reduced its stake in BHP Group by 67.6%, owning 10,857 shares after selling 22,687 during the first quarter, valued at approximately $527,000.
• Institutional investors have varied their holdings, with Russell Investments Group Ltd. increasing its stake by 31.1% and Townsquare Capital LLC boosting its position by 60.9% in the fourth quarter.
• BHP Group received several downgrades from brokerages, with an average rating of "Hold" and a target price of $48.50, reflecting a shift in market sentiment toward the stock.

Virtu Financial LLC lessened its stake in BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BHP - Free Report) by 67.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,857 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 22,687 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in BHP Group were worth $527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the first quarter worth about $280,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of BHP Group by 5.9% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 13,647 shares of the mining company's stock worth $654,000 after buying an additional 764 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in BHP Group by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,950 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in BHP Group by 81.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,899 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in BHP Group by 9.4% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 27,124 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $1,317,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BHP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein cut BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "sell" rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of BHP Group in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Argus lowered BHP Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. BMO Capital Markets lowered BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 27th. Finally, Macquarie lowered BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $48.50.

BHP Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BHP traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $54.12. 2,541,174 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,952,184. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.30 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.70. BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR has a 52 week low of $39.73 and a 52 week high of $63.21. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $50.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.50.

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