Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO) Shares Purchased by Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,900 shares of the mining company’s stock after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Rio Tinto Group were worth $588,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Rio Tinto Group by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,731 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Beam Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Rio Tinto Group in the 4th quarter worth about $212,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Rio Tinto Group in the 4th quarter worth about $198,000. First American Trust FSB grew its position in Rio Tinto Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 61,851 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $4,605,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Rio Tinto Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,777 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RIO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Rio Tinto Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Rio Tinto Group in a research report on Friday, January 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Liberum Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of Rio Tinto Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rio Tinto Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Rio Tinto Group Stock Performance

Shares of Rio Tinto Group stock traded up $0.29 on Friday, hitting $66.97. The company had a trading volume of 2,774,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,194,483. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Rio Tinto Group has a 52 week low of $58.27 and a 52 week high of $75.09.

Rio Tinto Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $2.58 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Rio Tinto Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $1.77. This represents a yield of 6.6%.

Rio Tinto Group Company Profile

Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. The Iron Ore segment engages in the iron ore mining, and salt and gypsum production in Western Australia. The Aluminum segment is involved in bauxite mining; alumina refining; and aluminium smelting.