29,499 Shares in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Purchased by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 29,499 shares of the mining company's stock, valued at approximately $1,440,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of BHP Group in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in BHP Group during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of BHP Group during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BHP Group Stock Up 1.0 %

BHP traded up $0.50 on Friday, hitting $48.67. 2,170,874 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,544,835. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock's fifty day moving average is $47.68 and its 200-day moving average is $50.11. The company has a market cap of $123.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.86. BHP Group Limited has a 12 month low of $39.73 and a 12 month high of $63.21.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.8%. BHP Group's payout ratio is 44.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on BHP shares. Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of BHP Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com downgraded BHP Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BHP Group currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $53.00.

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.