Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Sells 1,435 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. lowered its stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,348 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,435 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $23,920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BLK. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in BlackRock during the 3rd quarter worth $6,201,000. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of BlackRock in the third quarter worth about $700,000. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 256,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $269,591,000 after purchasing an additional 19,404 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 6,347.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 42,234 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $49,239,000 after purchasing an additional 41,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sienna Gestion boosted its stake in BlackRock by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 22,859 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $24,299,000 after purchasing an additional 7,773 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK opened at $967.39 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,029.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,076.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $150.47 billion, a PE ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 1 year low of $773.74 and a 1 year high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. The business’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $11.93 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. BlackRock’s payout ratio is presently 64.71%.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) has seen a surge in trading volume, reportedly doubling Coinbase’s volume and making IBIT competitive with major crypto venues — this boosts fee and distribution momentum for BlackRock’s ETF business and signals strong retail/institutional demand. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) Doubles the Trading Volume of Coinbase to Now Rival Binance
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock expanded and extended its revolving credit facility (seventeenth amendment), improving liquidity and reducing near‑term refinancing risk for the firm and its subsidiaries — a balance‑sheet positive that can reassure credit markets. BlackRock Expands and Extends Revolving Credit Facility
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock is reallocating capital across themes — increasing exposure to quantum computing (IQM) while adding bearish positions on German government bonds — signaling active tactical positioning that could pay off or hurt near term depending on macro moves. BlackRock Balances Quantum Computing Bet With Bearish German Bond Views
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s Tactical Opportunities fund has expanded short positions in German bunds (expects yields to rise above 3.13%), a portfolio hedge that reflects Europe inflation worries but is a tactical stance rather than a structural problem. BlackRock Fund Expands Shorts, Sees German Yields Above 3.13%
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and litigation risk: Pomerantz LLP has opened an investigation and there are public investor alerts after BlackRock limited withdrawals from its HPS Corporate Lending private credit fund when redemptions exceeded a 5% liquidity threshold — this raises governance, disclosure and legal risk for BlackRock’s fast‑growing alternatives business. BlackRock Liquidity Probe in Private Credit Might Change The Case For Investing In BlackRock (BLK)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market pressure: Morgan Stanley has lowered its expectations for BLK, and other pieces highlight intensifying regulatory scrutiny and governance questions around private credit and ETF communications — factors that could weigh on the stock if litigation or regulatory action escalates. Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Sector stress: large private‑credit firms (e.g., Blue Owl) have limited redemptions after heavy outflows, underscoring systemic liquidity risk in the private credit space that could amplify reputational and redemption risks for BlackRock’s alternatives platform. Blue Owl Limits Redemptions on Private Credit Funds After Massive Exit Requests

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In related news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total value of $31,675,823.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,363,724.98. This represents a 71.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total value of $5,738,776.46. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,185 shares in the company, valued at $50,074,700.70. The trade was a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on BLK shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price 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, January 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of BlackRock from a “moderate buy” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BlackRock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,298.78.

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.