BHP Selects 10 Companies for 2026 Xplor Program
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 01 2026
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Should l Buy BHP?
Source: Newsfilter
- Program Expansion: BHP has selected 10 early-stage exploration and technology companies for the 2026 Xplor program, marking the largest cohort since its inception, reflecting the company's commitment to innovative exploration methods aimed at enhancing mineral discovery efficiency.
- Multidisciplinary Collaboration: The selected companies include junior exploration firms, geoscience organizations, and technology teams, emphasizing the intersection of geological insights, data, and emerging technologies, which is becoming central to mineral discovery.
- Innovative Technology Applications: Companies like RadiXplore and Mineural are leveraging artificial intelligence and modern geological data analytics to improve mineral target identification efficiency, indicating BHP's proactive adoption of new technologies to tackle complex geological environments.
- Future Development Potential: BHP Exploration Officer Tim O'Connor noted that new tools and data are rapidly changing early exploration methods, and the Xplor program provides valuable opportunities for the company to learn alongside these innovators, suggesting a broader potential for future mineral discoveries.
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Analyst Views on BHP
Wall Street analysts forecast BHP stock price to fall
3 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 79.470
Low
49.50
Averages
56.50
High
68.00
Current: 79.470
Low
49.50
Averages
56.50
High
68.00
About BHP
BHP Group Limited is an Australia-based resources company. The Company is a producer of commodities, including iron ore, copper, nickel, potash and metallurgical (steelmaking) coal. It is focused on offering a range of resources, which provides copper for renewable energy; nickel for electric vehicles; potash for sustainable farming, and iron ore and metallurgical coal for the steel needed for global infrastructure and the energy transition. Its segments include Copper, Iron Ore, and Coal. Its Copper segment is engaged in mining of copper, silver, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, and gold. Its Iron Ore segment is engaged in mining of iron ore. Its Coal segment is engaged in mining of metallurgical coal and energy coal. The Company is also focused on operating Olympic Dam, Prominent Hill, and Carrapateena underground copper-gold mines in South Australia. Its operations are situated in Australia, Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, rest of Asia, North America, South America, and others.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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