0158 GMT - BHP's already-strong copper business is about to be strengthened further by the acquisition of Oz Minerals, due to close Tuesday, UBS analysts say in a note. When it comes to copper, BHP is ahead of Australia-listed rivals Rio Tinto and South32 on a number of key metrics, including projected total copper Ebitda and copper as a proportion of group Ebitda through FY 2030, they say. South32 is expected to have the biggest near-term copper production growth, though. "Copper exposure is sought for leverage to electrification of transport and decarbonization of power grids" although "the universe of ASX listed copper stocks has shrunk post BHP's acquisition of OZL," says UBS. Still, UBS keeps a sell rating on BHP due to a cautious view on iron-ore prices for the next six to 12 months. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 01, 2023 21:58 ET (01:58 GMT)
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