Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) Hits New 12-Month High on Earnings Beat

Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $74.99 and last traded at $74.4130, with a volume of 26412 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.04.

The utilities provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $635.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $809.88 million. Black Hills had a return on equity of 7.99% and a net margin of 12.62%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS.

Black Hills Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.703 dividend. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a boost from Black Hills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Black Hills’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on BKH shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Black Hills in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank upgraded Black Hills from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Black Hills from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Black Hills has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.67.

Insider Activity at Black Hills

In other news, CFO Kimberly F. Nooney sold 14,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.70, for a total value of $1,025,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,621 shares in the company, valued at $2,447,704.70. The trade was a 29.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Black Hills

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKH. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Black Hills by 84.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $976,000 after purchasing an additional 7,314 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Black Hills during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,354,000. Paradiem LLC raised its stake in Black Hills by 858.5% in the third quarter. Paradiem LLC now owns 234,833 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,463,000 after buying an additional 210,333 shares during the last quarter. Polaris Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Black Hills during the third quarter valued at about $2,242,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Black Hills during the second quarter valued at about $616,000. Institutional investors own 86.71% of the company’s stock.

Black Hills Stock Down 2.7%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $71.24 and its 200 day moving average is $65.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.28 billion, a PE ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

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.