Violich Capital Management Inc. Reduces Position in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Violich Capital Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP - Free Report) by 15.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 215,593 shares of the mining company's stock after selling 40,330 shares during the quarter. BHP Group comprises 1.4% of Violich Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Violich Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in BHP Group were worth $10,527,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,439 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 719 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 124.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 530 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 72.4% in the 3rd quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 412,446 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $25,617,000 after buying an additional 1,275 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,616 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. 3.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BHP Group Price Performance

BHP stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.57. 2,832,252 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,439,072. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $49.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.26. 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 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut BHP Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.