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    Hunter Hillcoat

    Research Analyst at Investec

    Hunter Hillcoat is the Equity Research Editor at Investec, with over two decades of experience in the securities industry and more than eleven years at Investec, primarily as a mining and metals equities analyst before moving into his current editorial and supervisory research role in 2021. Throughout his career, Hillcoat has covered major mining companies such as Centamin, Endeavour Mining, Barrick Gold, Peabody, and Acacia Mining, providing in-depth investment analysis and industry commentary noted in leading financial media. While specific published performance metrics or industry rankings are not available, his long tenure and quoted expertise reflect a strong reputation within the sector. Hillcoat holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Witwatersrand and an MBA with distinction from Curtin University, and his professional background indicates significant regulatory experience, though exact securities license details are not published.

    Hunter Hillcoat's questions to BHP Group (BHP) leadership

    Hunter Hillcoat's questions to BHP Group (BHP) leadership • H1 2017

    Question

    Hunter Hillcoat asked for the company's long-term target for its gearing ratio, now that it is in the mid-20% range, to help in forecasting future shareholder returns.

    Answer

    CFO Peter Beaven stated that BHP does not have a specific gearing target, preferring to use a range of metrics, primarily net debt-to-cash flow, and stress-testing the balance sheet. He emphasized that despite higher commodity prices, the company's view on potential downside risk has not changed, leading to a continued conservative bias towards further debt reduction in the near term.

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