AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Lowers Position in BlackRock $BLK

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lessened its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,430 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,656 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $26,139,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BLK. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 450.0% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 107.1% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 87.5% in the 2nd quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of BLK opened at $1,130.09 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,077.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,107.24. The company has a market cap of $175.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $773.74 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued 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 company had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group set a $1,280.00 price objective on BlackRock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,314.71.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s CIO of Global Fixed Income, is being talked about as a frontrunner for U.S. Federal Reserve chair after public praise from President Trump — a nomination would raise BlackRock’s influence on policy and could benefit business lines sensitive to rates and Fed guidance. BlackRock’s Rick Rieder surges ahead in race to chair Federal Reserve
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Larry Fink’s Davos push for rapid tokenization and a “common blockchain” reinforces BlackRock’s product roadmap (e.g., BUIDL money-market token on Ethereum with >$2B TVL), supporting potential new fee-bearing AUM and competitive crypto custody flows. Ethereum Emerges As Likely Candidate In BlackRock Tokenization Vision – Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: On-chain activity consistent with institutional crypto adoption: BlackRock-linked wallets transferred large amounts of bitcoin and ether into Coinbase Prime, signaling operational movement toward custody and trading channels for crypto products. This supports potential inflows to related ETFs and products over time. BlackRock-linked wallets move over $430 million in bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti to just over 10% — a material equity position that signals active portfolio deployment and could deliver strategic or performance upside in commodities exposure. BlackRock Lifts Stake in AngloGold Ashanti to Just Over 10%
• Neutral Sentiment: Larry Fink’s broader Davos commentary (AI, inequality and markets) sets strategic narrative for the firm but is more about reputation and long-term positioning than an immediate earnings catalyst. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: ‘What Happens to Everyone Else’ If AI Fuels Inequality?
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine portfolio disclosures: BlackRock adjusted holdings (e.g., BAWAG voting rights), reflecting normal active positioning rather than a direct AUM driver. Investors should treat these as portfolio-management signals. BlackRock Adjusts Stake in BAWAG Group to 5.83% of Voting Rights
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Martin Small sold ~27,000 shares (~$31.7M) in mid-January; while insider sales aren’t uncommon, the size of the transaction can spook short-term investors. SEC Form 4 — Martin Small sale
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term headwinds in crypto products: U.S. bitcoin ETFs posted net outflows recently, a drag on fee revenue tied to IBIT and other crypto strategies. Bitcoin ETFs Log Off — Outflows
• Negative Sentiment: Unconfirmed reports of a large BlackRock XRP purchase circulated in crypto media — a speculative noise item that could invite regulatory scrutiny or investor overreaction until verified. Unverified BlackRock XRP purchase reports

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. This trade represents a 71.93% 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 this link. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total transaction of $22,500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,630,750. The trade was a 24.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 48,305 shares of company stock valued at $55,488,396 over the last three months. 1.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.