Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why
by Tristan Rich · The Markets DailyBlack Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH – Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $76.70 and last traded at $75.5560, with a volume of 1118570 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.17.
Analyst Ratings Changes
BKH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on shares of Black Hills in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $77.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Black Hills from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Bank of America increased 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. Siebert Williams Shank raised shares of Black Hills from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Black Hills from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Black Hills currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.
Black Hills Price Performance
The company has a 50 day moving average price of $72.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.73.
Black Hills (NYSE:BKH – Get Free Report) 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. The company had revenue of $635.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $809.88 million. Black Hills had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 12.62%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Black Hills Corporation will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Black Hills Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.703 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. This is a boost from Black Hills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Black Hills’s payout ratio is currently 70.60%.
Institutional Trading of Black Hills
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Black Hills by 132.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 576 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Black Hills by 37.8% during 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 acquired a new stake in Black Hills during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Black Hills by 884.8% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its position in Black Hills by 192.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.