Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Trims Stake in BlackRock $BLK

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,938 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 879 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $16,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,991,264 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $14,680,334,000 after acquiring an additional 227,192 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in BlackRock by 1.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,143,429 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,281,641,000 after purchasing an additional 34,049 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth $2,644,007,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 72.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,104,122,000 after purchasing an additional 842,901 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 105,267.4% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,789,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,280 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total value of $13,980,480.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This represents a 62.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stores Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s BUIDL — a tokenized Treasury product — became the first tokenized Treasury to pay $100M in dividends, signaling commercial traction for BlackRock’s tokenization business and a new potential revenue stream. BlackRock’s BUIDL becomes first tokenized Treasury to pay $100M in dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Report that BlackRock hit a record milestone in payouts underscores growing cash flows from its funds and ETF business, supporting fee income and shareholder-friendly distribution dynamics. BlackRock hits record milestone in payouts
• Positive Sentiment: Catalysts for on‑chain finance — including commentary that Wall Street tokenization (with BlackRock mentioned) strengthens Ether’s institutional case — reinforce BlackRock’s strategic positioning in tokenized assets and infrastructure. Etheruem’s tokenization role takes focus as Tom Lee outlines bullish outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting bullish price outlooks tied to ETF activity (e.g., crypto ETF “buzz”) suggests market enthusiasm that can benefit BlackRock’s ETF distribution and brand momentum. XRP News Today: BlackRock ETF Buzz Lifts Bullish Price Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga’s price/earnings overview reiterates valuation metrics (PE/PEG) that make BLK appear expensive to some investors; useful context but not a near-term catalyst. Price Over Earnings Overview: BlackRock
• Neutral Sentiment: Head‑to‑head and analyst notes (peer comparisons, a “Hold” from Wall Street Zen) are mixed and represent incremental, not decisive, information for the stock. Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) vs. BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Head-To-Head Comparison BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen
• Negative Sentiment: Spot Bitcoin ETF outflows over the holiday week totaled ~$782M and BlackRock’s IBIT led redemptions (~$193M), creating near‑term AUM and fee pressure for BlackRock’s crypto ETF business. Spot Bitcoin ETFs bleed $782M during Christmas week amid ‘holiday positioning’

BlackRock Trading Down 0.1%

BLK opened at $1,087.07 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $168.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.47. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $773.74 and a 12 month high of $1,219.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,072.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,096.36.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.78 by ($0.23). The firm had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $11.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $5.21 dividend. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLK has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,301.00 to $1,407.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on BlackRock from $1,160.00 to $1,265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,316.18.

BlackRock Profile

BlackRock, Inc is a global investment management firm that provides a broad range of products and services to institutional, intermediary and individual investors. Its core activities include portfolio management across active and index strategies, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) under the iShares brand, fixed income, equity and multi-asset solutions, as well as alternatives such as private equity, real estate and infrastructure. The firm also offers cash management and liquidity solutions and retirement-focused products designed for defined contribution and defined benefit investors.

In addition to traditional investment management, BlackRock is known for its technology and risk management capabilities, most prominently its Aladdin platform, which combines portfolio management, trading and risk analytics and is used both internally and licensed to external clients.