Black Hills Corp

BKH

Market cap $5.49B

Some people aren't trusting this market rally, which continues to move higher. Every portfolio should have some defensive plays in it in case of a market downturn.

NextEra Energy's (NYSE: NEE | NEE Price Prediction) agreement to acquire Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) in a roughly $67 billion all-stock deal has investors hunting for the next big utility consolidation targets.

Black Hills NYSE: BKH executives said the utility remained on track to meet its 2026 earnings targets despite unusually warm winter weather that weighed on first-quarter demand, while also outlining progress on its pending merger with NorthWestern Energy and a growing pipeline of large-load data center opportunities.

Black Hills Corporation (BKH) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

RAPID CITY, S.D., May 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Net income available for common stock and earnings per share, diluted (EPS) for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2025, were:

Black Hills is one of a small number of utilities that have achieved Dividend King status. NextEra Energy is a utility that has an impressive history of dividend growth.

Black Hills remains a "Buy," supported by a 56-year dividend growth streak and a BBB+ credit rating. BKH's merger with NorthWestern Energy is progressing, with closure expected by the end of 2026 and significant EPS growth catalysts from data center demand and rate recovery. Shares are trading at a 6% discount to fair value, with a projected 10% annual total return and a forward dividend yield of 3.7%.

RAPID CITY, S.D., April 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) today announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend on the common stock at a meeting held April 28, 2026.

Modine Manufacturing led the way during the quarter, benefiting from secular demand in data center cooling and a well received spinoff of Modine Manufacturing's auto cooling business. Coming out of 2025, Adeia reported record revenue and profitability, supported by a surge in IP licensing activity. AtriCure remains well positioned given its first-mover advantage and deep integration within surgical workflows despite near-term competitive concerns from Edwards Lifesciences.

Dividend Kings are outperforming SPY year-to-date, with 36 of 58 beating the index with an average gain of 7.03% versus SPY's 4.18%. Twenty-seven Dividend Kings are both potentially undervalued and offer a long-term annualized expected return of at least 10%.