Essex Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stock Position in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

Essex Financial Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 61.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,522 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 12,208 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in BHP Group by 37.4% in the third quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 639 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BHP Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of BHP Group by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 894 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in BHP Group during the third quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in BHP Group during the fourth quarter worth about $68,000. 3.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Liberum Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of BHP Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Citigroup raised BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.00.

BHP Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BHP opened at $56.26 on Friday. BHP Group Limited has a one year low of $54.28 and a one year high of $69.11. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $57.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $1.44 per share. This represents a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th.

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, silver, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, iron ore, and metallurgical and energy coal.