Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Stock Price

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) had its price objective increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $1,310.00 to $1,340.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on BLK. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cowen cut shares of BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,312.59.

BlackRock Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:BLK opened at $1,164.72 on Friday. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $773.74 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $1,071.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,104.66. 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 $180.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.47.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 15.14%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $11.93 earnings per share. BlackRock’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of BlackRock

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Evexia Wealth LLC raised its stake in BlackRock by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC now owns 12,407 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $13,547,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Genesee Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Genesee Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at about $318,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in BlackRock in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,428,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in BlackRock by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 27,814 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,770,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and shareholder returns — BlackRock reported Q4 revenue and EPS above estimates, reached a record $14.04T AUM, raised the quarterly dividend 10% and authorized new buybacks, which supports cash returns and long‑term fee growth. BlackRock Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Record inflows driven by ETFs and cash products — Strong ETF and money‑market inflows pushed AUM higher and boosted fee revenue, underpinning near‑term growth momentum. BlackRock Earnings: Company Hits Record $14 Trillion in Assets Behind Strong ETF Flows
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI/Microsoft partnership funding — BlackRock said its AI‑infrastructure partnership with Microsoft has raised ~$12.5B toward a $30B target, highlighting new product and infrastructure initiatives that could produce fee opportunities. BlackRock Says AI Partnership Raises $12.5 Billion Toward $30 Billion Goal
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst stance — Several firms reiterated or raised targets after the results, including Morgan Stanley’s Overweight view with a high price target that signals substantial upside from current levels. BlackRock: Compounding Secular Growth at a Discounted Valuation Supports Overweight Rating and 34% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational change: ETF listings move — BlackRock will move four iShares money‑market/short‑duration ETFs to the NYSE in February; operationally minor but relevant for ETF market structure and liquidity. BlackRock to Change Primary Listing Venue for Four iShares ETFs
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic investments and private markets push — BlackRock outlined an ambitious plan to raise large private‑market pools and is pursuing deals (including a reported $333.6M commitment in India’s Aditya Birla renewables), signaling long‑term diversification but with longer realization timelines. Building ‘The Machine’: How BlackRock Plans To Raise $400B And Democratize Private Market Investing
• Negative Sentiment: Profit and margin pressure — Despite EPS and revenue beats, reported net income fell significantly year‑over‑year and operating profit showed pressure (per coverage), a reminder that earnings quality and cash generation face near‑term headwinds. BlackRock’s Profit Fell, Assets Hit Record $14 Trillion, in Fourth Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves and a few downgrades — Some shops trimmed targets (Evercore, BMO) and TD Cowen issued a downgrade, creating short‑term analyst chatter and potential volatility despite overall constructive sentiment from other firms. Evercore ISI Lowers Price Target on BlackRock to $1,275

BlackRock Company 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.