Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $77.60.

BKH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Black Hills in a report on Friday, March 27th. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded Black Hills from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $79.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Black Hills from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Black Hills in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $77.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Black Hills from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th.

Black Hills Stock Down 0.2%

Black Hills stock opened at $70.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Black Hills has a fifty-two week low of $54.92 and a fifty-two week high of $75.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $72.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.12. The firm has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.73.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 12.62%.The company had revenue of $635.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $809.88 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Black Hills will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Black Hills Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.703 per share. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Black Hills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Black Hills’s payout ratio is presently 70.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Black Hills

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Black Hills by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 736,014 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,331,000 after acquiring an additional 71,963 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 67.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 618,131 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,071,000 after purchasing an additional 249,640 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 84.8% during 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 bought a new stake in shares of Black Hills during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,354,000. Finally, Barnett & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Black Hills by 105.8% in the third quarter. Barnett & Company Inc. now owns 28,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 14,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.71% of the company’s stock.

Black Hills Company Profile

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.