BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Short Interest Up 10.3% in September

BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,580,000 shares, an increase 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 short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in shares of BHP Group by 7,516.7% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 457 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in BHP Group in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of BHP Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

BHP Group Price Performance

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. The stock has a market cap of $158.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $54.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. BHP Group has a 12 month low of $50.90 and a 12 month high of $69.11.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $1.465 dividend. This is an increase from BHP Group’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $1.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. BHP Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.29%.

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.