A lot of Australians have exposure to BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares, whether that's directly or indirectly. It's important who the leader of the ASX mining share is because they set the strategic direction of the business.
Earlier this week, BHP announced that Brandon Craig will become the new CEO and a director of BHP on 1 July 2026. He'll replace Mike Henry, who will step down after six and a half years. Brandon Craig has already been working at BHP for decades in various roles.
Experts from broker UBS have given their view on the appointment and what it could mean for BHP (shares).
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UBS opinions on the appointment
Firstly, the broker pointed out what Craig's achievements are at BHP. Under his leadership, Escondida added around 550kt of additional more copper than November 2024 guidance, reflecting "operational and mine plan optimisation".
Before that, as leader of the Western Australian Iron Ore (WAIO) business, he led WAIO to be the world's highest margin iron ore business.
The broker said that his track record of "operational excellence" has been central to his rise in the company.
UBS said:
In our observation, Craig brings strong strategic insight across the business, projects, portfolio and BHP's markets; while being across the detail in operations, especially safety & productivity. In our opinion, Craig represents a strong pair of hands to take forward BHP's ambitious growth pipeline across copper, in Chile, Argentina and South Australia; and Potash at Jansen.
The broker believes the ASX mining share will continue to be disciplined when executing growth, carry out acquisitions if the value is compelling, and allocate capital to balance growth and returns.
UBS also said that Craig's focus will also be on "strengthening capacity to deliver disciplined outcomes on projects, leaning harder into curating relationships in jurisdictions BHP operates in, and embracing technology change to drive value."
Broker views on the BHP share price
UBS currently has a neutral rating on BHP shares, with a price target of $52. The broker is currently forecasting that the ASX mining share could generate US$12.6 billion of net profit in FY26, which would translate into earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.48.
That increased level of profit could lead to an annual dividend payment per share of US$1.49 in the 2026 financial year.
Net profit is projected to reduce a little in FY27 to US$12 billion, translating into EPS of US$2.37. This could fund an annual dividend per share of US$1.19.
While the short-term looks positive for profit generation, analysts are seeing better ASX share opportunities elsewhere.
