Black Hills Corporation (NYSE: BKH) is a great starting point for income investors worried about financial downturns. Recessions can be difficult times for companies, but this utility has increased its dividend through at least the last six of these painful economic periods. Here's why this stock might be attractive for conservative investors today.

When you step back and examine what Black Hills does, well, you see it's a fairly boring company. This utility provides natural gas and electricity to roughly 1.3 million customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Its business is regulated, which means the government has to approve Black Hills' rate increases and capital spending plans. However, it has a modest market cap of $3.3 billion. Some of the biggest companies in the utility sector have markets that are 10 times that, or more. So Black Hills can fly under the radar screen for many investors.

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Source Fool.com