Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Buys New Position in Black Hills Co. (NYSE:BKH)

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Black Hills Co. (NYSE:BKH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 35,092 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,054,000. Black Hills comprises approximately 1.8% of Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 20,862 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,221,000 after buying an additional 2,007 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 19,900 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,165,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 200.7% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 70,783 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,133,000 after buying an additional 47,244 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Black Hills in the 4th quarter worth $3,447,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in shares of Black Hills by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.71% of the company's stock.

Black Hills Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE BKH traded down $0.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.08. 446,210 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 462,768. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.07, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.73. Black Hills Co. has a 1 year low of $50.72 and a 1 year high of $65.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $58.67 and a 200 day moving average of $59.73.

Black Hills (NYSE:BKH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.17. Black Hills had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 12.84%. On average, research analysts expect that Black Hills Co. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Black Hills Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.676 per share. This is a boost from Black Hills's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Black Hills's dividend payout ratio is 66.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Scotiabank lowered their target price on Black Hills from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th.

About Black Hills

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.