Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Price Target Raised to $132.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) had its target price lifted by BMO Capital Markets from $126.00 to $132.00 in a research note released on Monday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on BX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Blackstone in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $171.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Argus lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $195.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $161.00 to $143.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $164.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.55.

Blackstone Stock Up 6.0%

Blackstone stock opened at $121.72 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Blackstone has a 12-month low of $101.73 and a 12-month high of $190.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $117.36 and its 200 day moving average is $140.62. The company has a market capitalization of $90.33 billion, a PE ratio of 31.37, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.74.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.21. Blackstone had a net margin of 20.89% and a return on equity of 22.17%. The company had revenue of $4.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. Blackstone’s quarterly revenue was up 41.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Blackstone will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $1.49 dividend. This is an increase from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. This represents a $5.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio is currently 153.61%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 7,477,504 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.51, for a total value of $26,246,039.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,670.32. This represents a 99.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total value of $15,961,420.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blackstone

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Blackstone by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 2,035 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Blackstone by 9.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. United Bank grew its position in Blackstone by 14.7% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 13,528 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,024,000 after buying an additional 1,729 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in Blackstone during the second quarter valued at about $1,124,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Blackstone by 1.9% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 452,619 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $67,703,000 after buying an additional 8,655 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Blackstone

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer upgraded BX from Market Perform to Outperform and set a $154 price target, calling Blackstone a “premier franchise at a very attractive valuation” — a catalyst for buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target to $132 and kept an Outperform rating, reinforcing the bullish analyst tone. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone filed for an IPO of Blackstone Digital Infrastructure Trust targeting roughly $2B to invest in hyperscale data centers, and is expanding in aircraft leasing (Equator JV) — strategic growth initiatives that support higher long‑term earnings potential. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted BX among finance names with positive earnings momentum, which can attract momentum traders ahead of reporting cycles. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and analysis pieces are prompting re-evaluations of BX’s valuation after recent share weakness; these discussions can add volatility but aren’t direct catalysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: BX’s listing/weight in indexes and tracking of asset allocation strategies is being reported — informative for passive flows but not an immediate price driver. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokers trimmed price targets recently (HSBC to $131, TD Cowen to $141, Rothschild & Co Redburn to $138), which can cap upside and contribute to mixed sentiment. Read More. Read More. Read More.

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.