Prospera Financial Services Inc Decreases Stock Holdings in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Prospera Financial Services Inc trimmed its stake in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,765 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 495 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $855,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 1.3% during 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 last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $206,000. AMG National Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the third quarter worth approximately $215,000. Adero Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the third quarter worth approximately $243,000. Finally, Northcape Wealth Management LLC grew its position in BHP Group by 6.7% during the third quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,030 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $2,610,000 after buying an additional 2,629 shares during the period. 3.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BHP Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of BHP stock opened at $52.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.77 billion, a PE ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.98. BHP Group Limited has a 52-week low of $50.90 and a 52-week high of $69.11.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $1.465 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This is a boost from BHP Group’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $1.44. This represents a yield of 5.2%. BHP Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised BHP Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $72.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded BHP Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.00.

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.