Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twelve analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $73.00.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Rio Tinto Group from $83.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Rio Tinto Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Rio Tinto Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. DZ Bank raised Rio Tinto Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded shares of Rio Tinto Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RIO. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 8,113 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC raised its position in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 2,886 shares of the mining company's stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 1,855 shares of the mining company's stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 63.9% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 500 shares of the mining company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Rio Tinto Group by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,352 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 19.33% of the company's stock.

Rio Tinto Group Stock Performance

Shares of RIO stock opened at $59.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $74.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.24, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Rio Tinto Group has a fifty-two week low of $51.67 and a fifty-two week high of $74.24. The stock's 50-day moving average is $60.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.70.

Rio Tinto Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $2.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a yield of 7%. This is a positive change from Rio Tinto Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $1.77. Rio Tinto Group's payout ratio is 69.15%.

About Rio Tinto Group

Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. The Iron Ore segment engages in the iron ore mining, and salt and gypsum production in Western Australia. The Aluminum segment is involved in bauxite mining; alumina refining; and aluminium smelting.

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