Investors Purchase High Volume of Put Options on BHP Group (NYSE:BHP)

BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 6,375 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 96% compared to the average volume of 3,257 put options.

BHP Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BHP opened at $58.41 on Thursday. BHP Group has a 1 year low of $54.28 and a 1 year high of $69.11. The company’s 50-day moving average is $58.11 and its 200 day moving average is $60.12. 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 company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $1.44 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BHP Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BHP. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 19,902,182 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $1,359,518,000 after buying an additional 589,317 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in BHP Group by 119.7% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,338,797 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $798,672,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632,545 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of BHP Group by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,705,642 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $291,985,000 after purchasing an additional 61,012 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,430,056 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $302,625,000 after purchasing an additional 168,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of BHP Group by 46.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,389,504 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $299,847,000 after buying an additional 1,395,940 shares during the last quarter. 3.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BHP. StockNews.com downgraded BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Liberum Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of BHP Group in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.00.

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