Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $81.6667.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their price target on Black Hills from $78.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Black Hills from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings raised Black Hills from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Black Hills from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $78.00 target price on Black Hills in a research note on Thursday, June 11th.

Black Hills Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE BKH opened at $74.66 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $73.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Black Hills has a 1-year low of $58.06 and a 1-year high of $78.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $452.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $490.89 million. Black Hills had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 8.03%. The business’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.38 earnings per share. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Black Hills will post 4.34 EPS for the current year.

Black Hills Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $0.703 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Black Hills’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.18%.

Insider Activity at Black Hills

In other Black Hills news, Director Robert P. Otto sold 4,109 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.22, for a total transaction of $304,969.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,886 shares in the company, valued at $807,958.92. This trade represents a 27.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Black Hills

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of Black Hills in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Black Hills during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Black Hills during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in Black Hills during the second quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp boosted its position in Black Hills by 192.8% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.71% of the company’s stock.

About Black Hills

Black Hills Corporation is a diversified energy company based in Rapid City, South Dakota, that provides electricity and natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Through its regulated utility subsidiaries—Black Hills Power, Cheyenne Light & Power, and Black Hills Energy—the company delivers reliable energy across Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

In addition to its distribution operations, Black Hills owns and operates a generation portfolio that includes natural gas–fired plants, coal-fired units, hydroelectric facilities and wind projects.