Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 1,242 Shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 29.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,508 shares of the mining company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in BHP Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in BHP Group during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in shares of BHP Group by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,301 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BHP Group Stock Performance

BHP stock opened at $50.76 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.96. BHP Group Limited has a fifty-two week low of $48.06 and a fifty-two week high of $63.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 0.95.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BHP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Clarkson Capital upgraded BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on BHP Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut BHP Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.