BHP Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BHP)

BHP Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BHP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 5,228 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 110% compared to the average daily volume of 2,486 put options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BHP Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in BHP Group by 28.3% in the second quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,337 shares of the mining company's stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC purchased a new stake in BHP Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $256,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the mining company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its position in shares of BHP Group by 93.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 17,062 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $821,000 after purchasing an additional 8,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its holdings in BHP Group by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 8,456 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the period. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of BHP Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Argus cut shares of BHP Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $53.00.

BHP Group Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE BHP traded down $1.52 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $50.41. 3,863,300 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,706,004. 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 company has a market cap of $127.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $49.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.94. BHP Group has a 52 week low of $39.73 and a 52 week high of $63.21.

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.