BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Shares Acquired by Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP - Free Report) by 74.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,271 shares of the mining company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,963 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in BHP Group were worth $2,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BHP. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 7,516.7% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 457 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in BHP Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in BHP Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. WFA Asset Management Corp bought a new position in BHP Group in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 3.79% of the company's stock.

BHP Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BHP traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.12. 1,446,613 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,496,180. BHP Group Limited has a fifty-two week low of $50.90 and a fifty-two week high of $69.11. The firm has a market cap of $144.68 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.29.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $1.465 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This is an increase from BHP Group's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $1.44. BHP Group's payout ratio is currently 62.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BHP. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded BHP Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded BHP Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $72.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Argus raised BHP Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of BHP Group from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Three equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.