Not a good buy right now at ~$74.04 pre-market: price is extended into resistance (R2 ~74.64) with RSI near the upper-neutral zone, so near-term upside looks limited versus pullback risk.
Options positioning is extremely call-skewed (very low put/call ratios) and IV is elevated, suggesting bullish crowding ahead of catalysts rather than a clean, low-risk entry.
Earnings are scheduled 2026-02-04 after hours (QDEC 2025), creating a near-term binary catalyst; given current technical extension and mixed Street view, the better entry is after the report or on a dip toward ~72.7.
Trend: Bullish structure with moving averages stacked positively (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), indicating an established uptrend.
Momentum: MACD histogram positive and expanding (0.0511), supportive of upside continuation, but not a fresh breakout signal.
RSI: RSI_6 ~65.3 (upper-neutral), implying the stock is getting stretched; upside may be slower unless it cleanly breaks resistance.
Key levels: Pivot 72.72 (first “buyable dip” area); Resistance R1 73.91 (already reclaimed) and R2 74.64 (near current price 74.04). A decisive hold above ~74.64 would improve the immediate setup; failure risks a pullback toward ~72.7.
Pattern-based forward bias: Similar-pattern stats imply slightly negative next-day expectancy (-0.47%) but stronger 1-week expectancy (+8.71%), suggesting choppiness short-term with potential follow-through if catalysts cooperate.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Sentiment: Extremely bullish skew—put open interest 478 vs call OI 11,547 (OI put/call 0.04) and put volume essentially absent (5 puts vs 3,027 calls; volume put/call 0.0).
Activity: Total option volume 3,032, running ~279% of the 30-day average—elevated positioning/interest.
Volatility: 30D IV ~29.24 vs historical vol ~23.96; IV percentile ~86.8 (rich), implying options are priced for a bigger move (often around earnings/catalysts).
Takeaway: Options market is leaning “upside/positive,” but the extreme skew and elevated IV also suggest optimism is crowded and already priced in.
Technical Summary
Sell
6
Buy
6
Positive Catalysts
on 2026-02-04 after hours: potential upside catalyst if results/guide beat expectations.
citing data-center related upside potential (Wyoming projects).
Net income: $24.9M, +2.05% YoY (modest profit growth).
EPS: $0.34, -2.86% YoY (earnings per share slightly down despite higher net income).
Gross margin: 57.35%, down ~3.14% YoY (some profitability pressure).
Overall: Steady utility-style growth, but not accelerating; margins/EPS softness limits how aggressively to chase at resistance.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
2026-01-23 (BofA): Neutral; PT raised to $72 from $70 (below current ~$74), implying valuation is not compelling at current levels.
2025-11-07 (Scotiabank): Upgraded to Outperform; PT raised to $81 from $66 on data-center driven upside thesis.
Street pros vs cons:
Pros: Potential upside from large-load/data-center projects; defensive utility profile and dividend appeal.
Cons: Deal/merger uncertainty and related legal noise; valuation debate (at least one major PT below market).
Ownership/trading color: Hedge funds and insiders are neutral (no notable recent trend). Politician/congress activity: no recent congress trading data available.
Wall Street analysts forecast BKH stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for BKH is 80 USD with a low forecast of 73 USD and a high forecast of 87 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
2 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast BKH stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for BKH is 80 USD with a low forecast of 73 USD and a high forecast of 87 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
2 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 74.440
Low
73
Averages
80
High
87
Current: 74.440
Low
73
Averages
80
High
87
BofA
Neutral
maintain
$70 -> $72
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
Reason
BofA
Price Target
$70 -> $72
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
maintain
Neutral
Reason
BofA raised the firm's price target on Black Hills to $72 from $70 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm updated its target after rolling its valuation to 2028 EPS and updating peer P/E multiples.
Wells Fargo
Equal Weight
to
Underweight
downgrade
$58 -> $53
2026-01-20
Reason
Wells Fargo
Price Target
$58 -> $53
2026-01-20
downgrade
Equal Weight
to
Underweight
Reason
As previously reported, Wells Fargo downgraded NorthWestern Energy (NWE) to Underweight from Equal Weight with a price target of $53, down from $58, on valuation and increasing discomfort around the deal with Black Hills (BKH). Shares are now in-line vs Utilities Select Sector Index, while the firm sees risk/reward skewing negative given mounting uncertainty around the Black Hills merger - if deal breaks, Wells expects noticeable downside risk with shares.
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