BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are climbing higher again on Wednesday afternoon. At the time of writing, the mining giant's shares are up another 2.69% to $56.22 a piece. Today's uptick means the stock is now sitting at an all-time high, and is 39.47% higher than 12 months ago. This follows the miner hitting new all-time highs yesterday and on Monday.
The gains have also helped push the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) to a new record high this afternoon.
It's been a big month for the miner after it posted an impressive half-year result, which confirmed an 11% revenue increase and a 28% profit hike. At the same time, BHP announced a 46% increase in its fully-franked interim dividend to US73 cents.
It also announced a new silver agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals Corp (NYSE: WPM). Under the long-term streaming agreement, BHP will receive an upfront payment of US$4.3 billion at completion. In exchange, the miner will deliver silver to Wheaton calculated by reference to its share of silver produced at the Antamina mine in Peru.
Investors are clearly thrilled with the company's latest developments and are falling over themselves to get their hands on the stock.
Image source: Getty Images
So, if I bought $15,000 worth of BHP shares in early 2026, what are they worth now?
For the year to date, BHP shares are up 22.85%, and for the year, they are up 39.47%.
Today's share price increase means that $15,000 invested in the mining giant's stock when the ASX first opened for the year on the 2nd of January is now worth $18,427.50.
Meanwhile, $15,000 invested in BHP shares this time last year would be worth even more, totalling $20,920.50 at the time of writing.
Can BHP shares keep climbing even higher this year?
Analysts are divided about the outlook for the miner's shares this year. Many think that the stock has run its course and there isn't much room left for it to run higher, while others think we could see a small uptick.
TradingView data shows that 7 out of 20 analysts have a buy or strong buy rating on BHP shares. Another 11 have a hold rating, and 2 have a sell or strong sell rating.
The average target price of $52.58 implies a potential 6.43% downside ahead, at the time of writing. But the more optimistic $59.94 target price suggests the stock could rise another 6.71% over the next 12 months.
