Simmons Bank Boosts Holdings in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Simmons Bank grew its position in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 34,462 shares of the mining company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,807 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $2,354,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in BHP Group by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 123,944 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $7,050,000 after purchasing an additional 2,446 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in BHP Group by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 265,247 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $15,087,000 after acquiring an additional 15,039 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in BHP Group by 15.5% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 4,724 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of BHP Group by 32.9% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 14,941 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $850,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of BHP Group by 32.0% during the third quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

BHP Group Stock Up 1.1 %

BHP stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.46. The company had a trading volume of 2,043,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,603,997. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.21. BHP Group Limited has a 52-week low of $54.28 and a 52-week high of $69.11.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $1.44 per share. This represents a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BHP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Citigroup raised shares of BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Liberum Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of BHP Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.00.

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, silver, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, iron ore, and metallurgical and energy coal.