BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) Short Interest Up 5.7% in December

BHP Group Limited (NYSE:BHP) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,480,000 shares, an increase of 5.7% from the December 15th total of 8,970,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on BHP shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of BHP Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of BHP Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in BHP Group by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,101 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of BHP Group by 17.5% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,365 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of BHP Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 7,483 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BHP Group by 2.8% during the third quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,150 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of BHP Group by 4.6% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 6,012 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

BHP Group Stock Performance

BHP Group stock traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $50.06. The company had a trading volume of 2,348,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,768,061. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.29. BHP Group has a 12-month low of $48.06 and a 12-month high of $63.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $50.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.21.

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