BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Shares Sold by Independent Advisor Alliance

Independent Advisor Alliance lessened its position in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,506 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 397 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHP. Huntington National Bank grew its position in BHP Group by 17.5% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,365 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Adero Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the third quarter valued at about $243,000. AMG National Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the third quarter valued at about $215,000. Baron Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the third quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Caprock Group LLC grew its position in shares of BHP Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 30,330 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $1,930,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

BHP Group Stock Performance

NYSE:BHP opened at $50.51 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $49.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $128.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 0.90. BHP Group Limited has a twelve month low of $48.06 and a twelve month high of $63.21.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. BHP Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BHP. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of BHP Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of BHP Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

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.