Victory Capital Management Inc. Acquires 19,869 Shares of Black Hills Corporation $BKH

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 727,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,869 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 1.00% of Black Hills worth $44,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BKH. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new stake in Black Hills in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Black Hills by 37.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 641 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Black Hills by 884.8% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Black Hills by 44.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,037 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. 86.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Black Hills Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:BKH opened at $73.48 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.75. Black Hills Corporation has a 12 month low of $54.92 and a 12 month high of $75.87. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $72.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.56.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.04. Black Hills had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 7.95%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Black Hills Corporation will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Black Hills Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $0.703 dividend. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. 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 dividend payout ratio is 70.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKH has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Black Hills in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Black Hills from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Black Hills currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.33.

Black Hills 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.