BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are pushing higher on Tuesday.
In morning trade, the mining giant's shares are up 2% to $44.02.
This follows the release of the Big Australian's first quarter update before the market open.
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BHP shares higher on update
For the three months ended 30 September, BHP posted a quarter on quarter decline in production across all commodities.
Copper production was down 4% to 493.6kt, iron ore production was down 9% to 64.1Mt, steelmaking coal production was down 5% to 4.9Mt, and energy coal production was down 13% to 3.5Mt.
However, it is worth noting that this was expected by the market. For example, Macquarie had said:
We expect a weaker quarter (vs consensus) in Iron Ore and Copper (-3% below VA), with a larger 6% miss in Met Coal, with production across all commodities expected to be lower on a QoQ basis.
Production vs expectations
The consensus estimate for copper production was 483.8kt, which means BHP has outperformed with the base metal. This reflects record concentrator throughput and improved recoveries, partially offset by a lower concentrator feed grade.
Iron ore production was a slight miss during the quarter. The consensus was for WAIO production of 71.6Mt (on a 100% basis), but BHP achieved 70.1Mt. Management notes that production was solid as WAIO demonstrated continued supply chain excellence with record material mined and strong shipments, in a quarter of significant planned maintenance.
Finally, energy coal production was expected to be 3.8Mt but came in a touch lower at 3.5Mt. Management advised that production decreased due to additional wash plant maintenance, resulting in lower plant throughput.
Outlook
Looking ahead, BHP has reaffirmed all guidance for FY 2026. This includes copper production of 1,800 to 2,000kt and iron ore production of 258Mt to 269Mt.
Commenting on its performance and outlook, BHP's CEO, Mike Henry, said:
We've made a strong start to the year, highlighted by disciplined operating performance and execution of scheduled maintenance. Group copper production rose 4% [year on year], with record concentrator throughput at Escondida. In iron ore, WAIO delivered another standout quarter, achieving record material mined while completing critical infrastructure upgrades ahead of schedule.
Overall macro-economic signals for commodity demand remain resilient, and global growth forecasts are moving higher. While we expect some deceleration in growth in H2 CY25, in China we still expect GDP growth of ~5% for the year. In copper, major disruptions at some of our competitors' mines have tightened overall market fundamentals, benefitting our world-class portfolio of assets. With momentum from a strong first quarter, BHP is on track to deliver on full-year guidance and we are making progress on our growth pipeline across Australia and the Americas.
