Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Black Hills from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Black Hills in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Black Hills from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.33.

Black Hills Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE BKH opened at $74.03 on Friday. Black Hills has a 12 month low of $54.92 and a 12 month high of $75.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $71.41 and its 200 day moving average is $66.11.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. Black Hills had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 7.95%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. Research analysts predict that Black Hills will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Black Hills Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.703 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Black Hills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Black Hills’s payout ratio is presently 67.84%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Black Hills

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Black Hills by 7.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 42,798 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,596,000 after purchasing an additional 2,906 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 83.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 1,519 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Black Hills by 37.8% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,040 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in Black Hills during the 1st quarter valued at $255,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Black Hills by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 134,673 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,168,000 after acquiring an additional 7,332 shares during the last quarter. 86.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.