The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Trims Holdings in BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its stake in shares of BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) by 11.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 231,195 shares of the mining company’s stock after selling 31,299 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in BHP Group were worth $13,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in BHP Group by 7,516.7% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 457 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in BHP Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in BHP Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in BHP Group during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of BHP Group during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BHP shares. Argus raised shares of BHP Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com raised BHP Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded BHP Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BHP Group Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of BHP Group stock opened at $62.43 on Thursday. BHP Group Limited has a 52-week low of $50.90 and a 52-week high of $69.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $54.75 and a 200 day moving average of $56.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $158.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.96.

BHP Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $1.465 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This is a positive change from BHP Group’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $1.44. BHP Group’s dividend payout ratio is 60.29%.

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.