BHP chief executive Mike Henry says OZ Minerals is not a “must have” for his company as he unveiled the second-biggest profit in the company’s history and a record dividend worth $US16.3 billion ($23.2 billion).

The $US21.3 billion underlying profit from continuing operations – which does not include the petroleum assets sold to Woodside – and the $US3.25 per share of total dividends for the year were both better than analysts had expected.