Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) Short Interest Up 19.0% in February

Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,430,046 shares, an increase of 19.0% from the January 29th total of 6,242,648 shares. Approximately 9.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,198,435 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,198,435 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Approximately 9.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Black Hills Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of BKH traded down $1.91 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $73.85. 461,364 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,013,860. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $72.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.37. Black Hills has a 12 month low of $54.92 and a 12 month high of $75.87. The stock has a market cap of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.75.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. Black Hills had a return on equity of 7.95% and a net margin of 12.62%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Research analysts forecast that Black Hills will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Black Hills Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.703 per share. This is a boost from Black Hills’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Black Hills’s payout ratio is presently 70.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BKH shares. Scotiabank upgraded Black Hills from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Black Hills from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Black Hills from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Black Hills in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Black Hills has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKH. DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Black Hills during the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,488 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 26,124 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,814,000 after acquiring an additional 5,525 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its stake in Black Hills by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 37,333 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,725,000 after acquiring an additional 13,562 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Black Hills during the 4th quarter worth about $605,000. Institutional investors own 86.71% of the company’s stock.

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.