Short Interest in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Rises By 10.3%

BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,580,000 shares, a growth of 10.3% from the August 31st total of 10,500,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,410,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BHP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus upgraded BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of BHP Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BHP Group Stock Performance

NYSE BHP traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $62.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,065,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,508,869. BHP Group has a 12 month low of $50.90 and a 12 month high of $69.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $158.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.96.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.465 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. This is a boost from BHP Group’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $1.44. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. BHP Group’s payout ratio is presently 60.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BHP Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 532.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,353,268 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $134,442,000 after buying an additional 1,981,008 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in BHP Group by 46.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,389,504 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $299,847,000 after acquiring an additional 1,395,940 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in BHP Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 19,864,440 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $1,356,940,000 after purchasing an additional 551,575 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of BHP Group by 80.6% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 942,001 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $64,348,000 after purchasing an additional 420,550 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BHP Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $19,294,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

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