Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Raises Position in BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR $BHP

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in BHP Group Limited by 102.9%, owning 12,446 shares valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 6,313 shares during the first quarter.
• BHP Group has announced a semi-annual dividend of $1.185, an increase from the previous $1.00, indicating a yield of 410% and a payout ratio of 44.77%.
• After a recent trading day, BHP Group stock is down 0.3% at $53.55, with a market cap of $135.80 billion, and an average target price from analysts set at $48.50.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BHP - Free Report) by 102.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,446 shares of the mining company's stock after buying an additional 6,313 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in BHP Group were worth $604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BHP. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 11,552 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 2,739 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of BHP Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,150 shares of the mining company's stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of BHP Group by 60.9% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 5,876 shares of the mining company's stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of BHP Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,440,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in BHP Group by 487.6% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 30,485 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $1,491,000 after buying an additional 25,297 shares in the last quarter. 3.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Macquarie lowered BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of BHP Group in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Sunday, July 27th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of BHP Group in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $48.50.

BHP Group Stock Up 2.6%

BHP Group stock traded up $1.4250 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $55.9250. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,994,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,920,826. BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR has a fifty-two week low of $39.73 and a fifty-two week high of $63.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $141.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.67.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This is a positive change from BHP Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $1.00. BHP Group's payout ratio is presently 44.77%.

BHP Group Company 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.