BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Price Target Lowered to $1,128.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) had its price objective decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $1,269.00 to $1,128.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on BLK. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BlackRock from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. CICC Research increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,238.00 to $1,105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,247.28.

BlackRock Stock Up 2.4%

BlackRock stock opened at $1,023.54 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $159.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $845.82 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,014.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,069.76. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.93 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is 64.71%.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In other news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total transaction of $5,738,776.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 46,185 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,074,700.70. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stephen Cohen sold 225 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,069.56, for a total transaction of $240,651.00. Following the sale, the director owned 5,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,054,779.16. This represents a 3.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249. 1.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth about $459,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 216,566 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $231,800,000 after buying an additional 53,657 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in BlackRock by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,932 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,210,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. ARP Global Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth about $9,633,000. Finally, Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth about $467,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s strategists raised their U.S. stock outlook, arguing that corporate earnings are coming in strong and that Middle East risks appear contained — a bullish signal for equity flows and fee revenue. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlight BlackRock’s public stance that the Iran conflict’s economic damage is likely limited, prompting the firm to pivot back to overweight U.S. equities — supportive for asset-gathering and active/passive equity products. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 earnings are imminent (April 14) and options traders are pricing in a sizable move (~6%), which can amplify intraday swings even if the underlying outlook is constructive. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock announced a $100M U.S. philanthropic workforce development pledge — positive for ESG and reputation but unlikely to materially change near-term financials. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s involvement in a Monte dei Paschi boardroom battle (backing a dissident slate) signals active stewardship; notable for governance profile but of limited direct impact on BLK’s earnings. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several banks (JPMorgan, Evercore, BMO, TD Cowen) trimmed price targets on BLK this week, which can cap upside and influence investor sentiment despite the stock’s recent strength. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor focus on private credit risks and reported Q1 crypto mark-to-market losses for holdings has raised concerns ahead of earnings, potentially weighing on asset-based fees and net revenue if outflows or valuation hits persist. Read More. Read More.

About BlackRock

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.