BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Holdings Decreased by Essex Financial Services Inc.

Essex Financial Services Inc. lessened its stake in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 61.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,522 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 12,208 shares during the quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of BHP Group by 37.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 639 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in BHP Group during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in BHP Group in the third quarter worth about $52,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in BHP Group by 64.2% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,079 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in BHP Group by 22.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 894 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

BHP Group Price Performance

NYSE BHP opened at $56.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.17. BHP Group Limited has a 52-week low of $54.28 and a 52-week high of $69.11.

BHP Group Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

BHP Group Company 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.