Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 37,447 Shares of BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR $BHP

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in BHP Group Limited by 21.4%, owning 212,602 shares valued at approximately $10.32 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• BHP Group recently announced a dividend increase, declaring a semi-annual dividend of $1.185, up from $1.00, with a yield of 410.0%.
• Several analysts have downgraded BHP Group's rating, with consensus now at "Hold" and a price target of $48.50.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BHP - Free Report) by 21.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 212,602 shares of the mining company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,447 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in BHP Group were worth $10,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in BHP Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. WFA Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the first quarter worth $26,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the first quarter worth $27,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the fourth quarter worth $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.79% of the company's stock.

BHP Group Trading Down 0.5%

BHP stock traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $55.86. 2,367,753 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,685,569. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.46. BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR has a one year low of $39.73 and a one year high of $63.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.64 billion, a PE ratio of 12.69 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $52.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.86.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $1.185 per share. This represents a yield of 410.0%. This is a positive change from BHP Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. BHP Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on BHP. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Sunday, July 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of BHP Group in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Macquarie downgraded shares of BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Argus downgraded shares of BHP Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of BHP Group in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $48.50.

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.