Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $14.18 Million Stake in Black Hills Corporation $BKH

Squarepoint Ops LLC reduced its stake in Black Hills Corporation (NYSE:BKH) by 29.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 190,598 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 78,477 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Black Hills were worth $14,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Black Hills during the 2nd quarter worth $928,675,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Black Hills in the second quarter valued at about $29,413,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Black Hills by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,275,922 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $157,995,000 after purchasing an additional 634,800 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Black Hills by 6,416.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 155,752 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,812,000 after purchasing an additional 153,362 shares during the period. Finally, BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new stake in Black Hills during the fourth quarter worth about $5,985,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.71% of the company’s stock.

Black Hills Trading Down 1.8%

BKH opened at $72.83 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average is $73.46 and its 200-day moving average is $73.13. Black Hills Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.10 and a 1-year high of $78.69.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $452.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $490.89 million. Black Hills had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 7.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. Black Hills has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.250-4.450 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Black Hills Corporation will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Black Hills Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.703 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Black Hills’s payout ratio is currently 70.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on BKH shares. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Black Hills from $78.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Oppenheimer set a $78.00 price target on shares of Black Hills in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Black Hills from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Black Hills from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Black Hills from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Black Hills currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $81.67.

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.