BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Shares Sold by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. decreased its position in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 16.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 12,281 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 2,402 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $600,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in BHP Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in BHP Group during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in BHP Group in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in BHP Group by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 1,169 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

BHP Group Price Performance

NYSE:BHP opened at $49.28 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. BHP Group Limited has a 52 week low of $48.06 and a 52 week high of $63.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.97 billion, a PE ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.95.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. BHP Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BHP. Clarkson Capital raised BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on BHP Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered BHP Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Three equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.00.

BHP Group 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, uranium, gold, zinc, lead, molybdenum, silver, iron ore, cobalt, and metallurgical and energy coal.