Blackstone Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BX)

Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 29,939 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 62% compared to the average daily volume of 18,509 put options.

Blackstone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BX opened at $107.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Blackstone has a one year low of $105.09 and a one year high of $190.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.64, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $136.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.37.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.21. Blackstone had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 22.17%. The firm had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 41.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Blackstone will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $1.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $5.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. This is an increase from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. Blackstone’s payout ratio is currently 153.61%.

Trending Headlines about Blackstone

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone Energy Transition Partners agreed to acquire a majority stake in Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT), expanding BX’s energy‑transition and thermal‑management exposure while leaving ACT management as significant shareholders — a strategic tuck‑in that supports fee and carry growth. Blackstone Energy Transition Partners Announces Agreement to Acquire Majority Stake in Advanced Cooling Technologies
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone and Blue Owl acquired a stake in PE firm Atlas, signaling continued partnership-driven deal activity that can expand BX’s alternative asset footprint and fee streams. Blackstone, Blue Owl Capital acquire stake in PE firm Atlas
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone Life Sciences is co‑funding clinical trials with Johnson & Johnson and the firm is reported to be exploring a Whitestone REIT deal — moves that diversify earnings and create new fee/carry upside over time. Blackstone Balances Life Sciences Bet And REIT Interest As Valuation Lags
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts note BX trades at a premium to peers (forward P/E ~16.5 vs industry ~9.9), raising valuation questions even as assets under management and fundraising remain strong. Premium Valuation: Should Investors Still Consider Blackstone Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: WSJ commentary suggests diversified alternative managers like Blackstone are structurally better positioned to weather a pullback in private credit, tempering some systemic risk concerns. Why Blackstone and BlackRock Can Ride Out the Private-Credit Storm
• Negative Sentiment: Heightened redemption activity in BX’s $82B BCRED private‑credit fund triggered record withdrawal requests, forcing a roughly $400M capital injection and an increased share‑repurchase cap to meet liquidity needs — a headline risk that has materially hurt sentiment and share performance. A Look At Blackstone’s (BX) Valuation As Private Credit Redemptions Draw Fresh Scrutiny
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and sector pressure: commentary and data show private‑equity/private‑credit stocks have fallen sharply in recent months, amplifying outflows and risk‑off behavior for BX. Private equity stocks down 30-40% in three months, bigger worry than geopolitical risk
• Negative Sentiment: Market positioning has turned bearish: short interest rose ~27.8% in February and recent uncommon put buying (~29,939 puts) points to accelerated downside hedging/speculation that increases selling pressure on the stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Blackstone from $158.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $165.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Blackstone in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Blackstone from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Blackstone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Blackstone news, major shareholder Holdings Iv Gp Mana Blackstone acquired 1,146,789 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.16 per share, with a total value of $30,000,000.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,716,249 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $437,297,073.84. This trade represents a 7.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $15,961,420.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BX. Advisortrust Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone in the fourth quarter valued at $356,000. PeakShares LLC acquired a new stake in Blackstone in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,006,000. Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in Blackstone during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,308,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blackstone by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,797,947 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $277,556,000 after purchasing an additional 98,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $762,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

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.