ProShare Advisors LLC Purchases 20,102 Shares of Black Hills Co. (NYSE:BKH)

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Black Hills Co. (NYSE:BKH - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 698,890 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 20,102 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.98% of Black Hills worth $40,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Black Hills by 66.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 432 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 182.8% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 461 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Black Hills by 373.2% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 530 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Black Hills by 83.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 625 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in Black Hills by 1,159.7% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 781 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. 86.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Black Hills Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE BKH traded down $0.60 on Wednesday, hitting $58.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 205,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 450,993. Black Hills Co. has a 1-year low of $51.66 and a 1-year high of $65.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company's 50-day moving average is $59.67 and its 200 day moving average is $59.86. The firm has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.74.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.92 by ($0.05). Black Hills had a return on equity of 7.82% and a net margin of 12.84%. The firm had revenue of $805.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $729.73 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Black Hills Co. will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Black Hills Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.676 per share. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Black Hills's dividend payout ratio is presently 68.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Black Hills from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Black Hills in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $68.00 price objective for the company.

Black Hills Profile

Black Hills Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the United States. The company operates in two segments: Electric Utilities and Gas Utilities. The Electric Utilities segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 222,000 electric utility customers in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and owns and operates 1,394 megawatts of generation capacity and 9,106 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines.