BHP(BHP) - 2025 H2 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - BHP achieved a record iron ore and copper production in the 2025 financial year, with copper production exceeding 2 million tons, reflecting a 28% volume growth over the past three years [4][21] - The underlying EBITDA margin remained healthy at 53%, maintaining an average margin exceeding 50% over the past twenty years [8][10] - The company incurred almost $10 billion in taxes and royalties against an underlying attributable profit of $10.2 billion, with a final dividend of $0.60 per share, resulting in a full year dividend of $5.6 billion [9][10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Western Australia Iron Ore demonstrated a strong performance with record production and shipments, achieving an EBITDA margin of 63% and C1 costs of $17.29 per tonne, making it the lowest cost major iron ore producer globally [11][12] - In copper, BHP generated a record $12 billion of EBITDA, accounting for 45% of the group total, with an impressive margin of 59% [13] - Copper South Australia produced over 300,000 tonnes of copper in each of the last two years, with plans to double copper production [36] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - China and India showed resilient economic and commodity demand growth, with China exceeding economic growth expectations and India projected to remain the fastest growing major economy [21][22] - The global focus on critical mineral supply and supply chain security is increasing, reflecting the mining sector's role in supporting national security and energy transition [23] Company Strategy and Development Direction - BHP's strategy focuses on being in highly attractive commodities with resilient demand and steep cost curves, optimizing for risk, value, and growth [2][3] - The company plans to sequence projects to enhance value and deliverability, with a revised capital and exploration spend target of around $11 billion for FY 2026 and 2027, which is $1 billion lower than previous guidance [18][39] - BHP aims to maintain a strong balance sheet and pay a minimum dividend of 50% of underlying attributable profit each reporting period [15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management noted that while global economies face policy uncertainty, demand for commodities remains resilient, particularly in China and India [21][22] - BHP expects to meet its 2030 target for operational greenhouse gas emissions despite a slowdown in the pace of development of decarbonization technology [17][20] Other Important Information - BHP contributed almost $47 billion globally through wages, taxes, royalties, community contributions, and payments to suppliers and shareholders [5] - The company achieved gender balance in its global workforce, with female representation at 41.3% [5] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the expectations for copper production growth? - BHP's aspiration to double copper production remains unchanged, with stable operational performance supporting this growth [36] Question: How is BHP addressing the challenges in project execution? - The company is learning from experiences like the Janssen project to improve planning and execution, while maintaining a good track record of delivering major projects on time and budget [31] Question: What is BHP's outlook on the iron ore market? - BHP expects Chinese steel production to plateau and eventually decline, focusing on improving performance and reducing costs to sustain margins [32]