By Rhiannon Hoyle

BHP Group is scheduled to report its first-half results before the Australian market opens on Tuesday. Here is what you need to know.

PROFIT: The world's biggest miner by market value is expected to report an underlying profit of $6.03 billion for the six months ended Dec. 31, according to analyst forecasts collated by Visible Alpha. The company made an underlying profit of $5.08 billion the year earlier.

Earnings are expected to get a boost from strong copper prices, which increased by 32% on year.

DIVIDEND: Directors are expected to declare an interim dividend of roughly 63 cents a share, according to Visible Alpha. BHP paid an interim dividend of 50 cents a share a year ago.

BHP's stock is up roughly 10% so far in 2026, fanned by strong commodity prices.

WHAT TO WATCH:

-- The market will be eager for more guidance on BHP's growth outlook after the miner made another failed attempt to buy Anglo American late in 2025. The approach followed several attempts to buy its rival in 2024, with BHP pursuing Anglo American as a way of bolstering its exposure to industrial metal copper, which is needed for electric vehicles, renewable energy and data centers. BHP has previously said it doesn't need to make acquisitions to grow, but investors will surely be seeking more reassurances on the outlook in light of the latest talks.

-- Investors will be looking for an update on protracted iron-ore contract negotiations with China. In production results released last month, BHP said there's been "some impact to realized price" during the negotiations, as it sought to find the best avenues for selling its ore and took "actions within our operations to preserve operational flexibility and productivity." Analysts say they are eagerly anticipating an update from BHP on the talks, given the potential impact on prices for a commodity that accounts for more than half of its earnings.

-- Analysts will be questioning the outlook for an expansion at BHP's Jansen potash project, after the miner last month announced another cost overrun on the first stage of the development. BHP said it now expects Jansen stage one will cost $8.4 billion, up from an estimate of $7.0 billion-$7.4 billion last year and an initial estimate of $5.7 billion. In its production report, the company blamed "construction hours and quantities of materials that were not included in previous execution cost estimates" for the latest overrun.

Write to Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 15, 2026 21:03 ET (02:03 GMT)

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