Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on Blackstone (NYSE:BX)

Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 20,972 put options on the company. This is an increase of 41% compared to the typical daily volume of 14,886 put options.

Blackstone Stock Performance

Shares of BX stock opened at $125.74 on Friday. Blackstone has a 52 week low of $115.66 and a 52 week high of $190.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.86 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $148.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.92.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.69 billion. Blackstone had a return on equity of 22.17% and a net margin of 20.89%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 41.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Blackstone will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $1.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is an increase from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. This represents a $5.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Blackstone’s payout ratio is 153.61%.

Blackstone News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone increased public-equity positions in several mega-cap names — notably a large add to Microsoft (206,694 shares) plus buys in Amazon, Nvidia, Apple, Meta, TSMC, Walmart and a small increase in Alphabet Class C — signaling conviction in tech/retail holdings that could support fee-related NAV upside and long-term performance.
  Blackstone Inc. Boosts Microsoft Stake
  Blackstone Inc. Boosts Amazon Stake
  Blackstone Inc. Boosts Nvidia Stake
  Blackstone Inc. Boosts Apple Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone is among bidders for Volkswagen’s Everllence unit (alongside EQT and CVC), a sign of active deal pipeline and potential advisory/transaction fee opportunities that support private markets revenue. Blackstone, EQT and CVC make offers for VW’s Everllence unit
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI reaffirmed a Buy on BX, which is supportive from a sell-side perspective and may limit further downside if sentiment stabilizes. Evercore ISI Keeps Their Buy Rating on Blackstone Group (BX)
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus is more mixed — aggregate recommendations around “Hold” temper upside expectations and reflect a divergence in views on valuation after the recent pullback. BX Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold”
• Neutral Sentiment: TipRanks reports a trim in Blackstone’s Alphabet Class A position (58k shares), likely a portfolio rebalance rather than a structural shift — a mixed signal. Blackstone Inc. trims Alphabet Class A stake by 58K
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary is asking whether BX is attractive after the pullback — this suggests some investors see buying value while others remain cautious on multiples and fee sensitivity. Is Blackstone (BX) Now Attractive After Recent Share Price Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: There was an unusual surge in put option activity (roughly 20,972 puts, ~41% above typical volume), indicating heightened short-term bearish positioning or hedging that can amplify downward price pressure.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BX has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $178.00 to $174.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Blackstone in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $195.00 price target on Blackstone in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price target on shares of Blackstone from $165.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Blackstone from $199.00 to $189.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $171.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Blackstone news, major shareholder Holdings Iv Gp Mana Blackstone bought 384,468 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.01 per share, for a total transaction of $10,000,012.68. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 16,525,117 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,818,293.17. This represents a 2.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $15,961,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,610. This represents a 99.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Blackstone during the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,268,000. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in Blackstone by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 21,860 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,369,000 after buying an additional 3,470 shares during the last quarter. TMB Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the fourth quarter worth $487,000. ATX Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Blackstone during the fourth quarter worth about $1,130,000. Finally, Evansbrook LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the fourth quarter valued at $397,000. 70.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Blackstone

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.