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

Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.40.

Several brokerages have commented on BKH. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Black Hills in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $77.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Black Hills in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Black Hills from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Black Hills from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of Black Hills from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, March 12th.

Black Hills Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of BKH stock opened at $75.31 on Friday. Black Hills has a 1 year low of $55.49 and a 1 year high of $78.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $72.59 and its 200-day moving average is $70.86. The stock has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.73.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $635.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $809.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Black Hills will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Black Hills Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.703 per share. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Black Hills’s dividend payout ratio is 70.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Black Hills

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BKH. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Black Hills by 132.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 576 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Black Hills by 37.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Black Hills in the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. First Horizon Corp increased its stake in Black Hills by 192.8% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in Black Hills by 884.8% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares in the last quarter. 86.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.