Strong Financial Performance
Underlying EBITDA grew 25% with an increased margin of 58%; underlying attributable profit was $6.2 billion; return on capital employed (ROCE) rose to 24% year-on-year.
Copper Leadership and Growth
Copper generated a record $8 billion of EBITDA in the half (66% margin) and accounted for just over half of group earnings—up 30 percentage points over the past 3 years. Management raised copper production guidance by a cumulative 150,000 tonnes over the next 2 years, lifted FY27 Escondida guidance to 1.0–1.1 million tonnes, and outlined a pathway to ~40% production growth by 2035 (c.5% p.a. expected copper growth and 3–4% compound copper-equivalent growth through to 2035).
Operational Records and Production Delivery
Set operational records in copper and iron ore while meeting safety targets. Group production increased 2% in the half. Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) delivered record first-half production and shipments and is positioned as the lowest-cost major iron ore producer.
Cost Discipline and Unit-Cost Improvements
Group unit costs improved around 4.5% despite inflation over 2% and currency pressures. Escondida delivered a 16% improvement in costs despite a 10% lower grade. Copper South Australia achieved copper production +2% and gold +12% with a more than 50% reduction in unit costs. WAIO reduced real costs post-COVID and reported C1 costs of $17.66/t (only +1%).
Strong Cash Generation and Financial Flexibility
At spot prices BHP expects around $60 billion in attributable free cash flow over the next 5 years after funding growth; in an extreme prolonged low-price scenario (prices 20–40% below current for 5 years) the business would still generate around $10 billion attributable FCF. Management identified up to $10 billion of capital that could be unlocked and redeployed.
Value Unlocking Transactions
Announced a $4.3 billion silver streaming agreement relating to Antamina and a $2 billion WAIO inland power transaction (tariff linked over 25 years), together unlocking over $6 billion cash while retaining operational and strategic control.
Shareholder Returns
Interim dividend determined at USD 0.73 per share (up 46% half-on-half). The half-year dividend totals $3.7 billion with a payout ratio of 60%. Over $110 billion returned to shareholders in the past decade.
Progress on Growth Options (Potash, Vicuna, Copper SA)
Jansen potash expected to be a large, low-cost asset with ~ $1 billion EBITDA per stage and margins above 60% per stage; Vicuna JV advancing with recent drilling adding 9 million tonnes of contained copper and RIGI application underway; Copper South Australia (Olympic Dam plus additions) positioned to grow toward 650k tpa copper (and up to ~1 million tpa including byproducts in late 2030s) and is on track for further updates this year.
Safety and BOS-driven Operational Excellence
Key safety metrics improved with lower high-potential injury frequency and improved hazard identification; no fatalities. The BHP Operating System continues to enable operational reliability, faster opportunity capture and consistent delivery against guidance.