BHP, formerly known as BHP Billiton, is an Anglo-Australian company of international scope. The company specializes in the mining and sale of mineral commodities. BHP Group is a major producer of iron ore, diamonds, uranium, coal, oil and bauxite in the world and the largest diversified miner.
This world-renowned and successful company is also present on the stock market, with shares that are of particular interest to traders. If you want to know more about this company's stock, take a look at this guide for information about its history, strong points and weak points. These will provide you with essential elements for a fundamental analysis of the future fluctuations of this group's stock.
The history of BHP began in New South Wales in 1885 with the partnership of George McCulloch and Charles Rasp, two operators with the aim of exploiting the lead and silver steel deposit at Broken Hill. The company's activities soon expanded greatly despite major tensions between the miners and the company throughout 1890-1900.
The company began producing steel in 1915 in a steel mill located in Newcastle, the first facility of its kind in Australia. Production grew rapidly to support the needs of the Allies during the First and Second World Wars.
The Broken Hill mine ceased operations in 1939. Over 52 years of operation, the mine yielded more than 12.3 million tons of ore or 54 million pounds. This considerable sum made BHP the largest company in Australia.
The company's activities diversified over the years. The company's history took a major turn in the 1960s, when it signed partnerships with large groups (ESSO) and acquired numerous companies (Utah International, Energy Reserve Group, Monsanto Oil, Pacific Resources Inc, Magma Copper Company, etc.). The company reached new heights in 2001 with its merger with BILLITON, one of the leaders in aluminum mining.
Today, BHP is the world's largest mining group with revenues of $45,809 million in 2018 and a capitalization of $173,117 million as of October 2019.
BHP shares (currently listed on 5 stock exchanges) are of great interest to investors. It is true that successful multinational companies can yield significant gains. But is BHP stock a good option? It’s hard to give a categorical answer. What is certain, however, is that :
The company's performance in recent years has been largely due to its strong iron ore operations. It benefited greatly from the high prices of this raw material in 2011 and 2012. On the other hand, the coronavirus pandemic has created a relative scarcity of this mineral, which has benefited BHP greatly.
It is impossible for us to tell you whether or not to invest in BHP stock. The fact remains that an increase in the price of the materials offered by the company will always go in its favor. On the other hand, a decrease in prices will significantly affect BHP's share price.
It is also important to note that while BHP Group has achieved excellent results in recent years, the company still faces a significant debt load worth over $12 billion.