B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Lowers Holdings in BlackRock $BLK

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,243 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,255 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $34,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,644,007,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 105,267.4% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,789,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,280 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,104,122,000 after buying an additional 842,901 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 1,962.0% during the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 792,494 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $831,524,000 after purchasing an additional 754,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 29,043.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 245,094 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $285,748,000 after buying an additional 244,253 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “moderate buy” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,313.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,308.89.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK stock opened at $953.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $148.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a one year low of $773.74 and a one year high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,089.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,099.20.

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

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. BlackRock’s payout ratio is presently 58.84%.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock is expanding its iShares iBonds ETF franchise — nine new defined‑maturity bond ETFs across Treasuries, TIPS, corporates, high yield and muni markets — which supports fee growth and ETF distribution strength. BlackRock Announces Plans to Expand iBonds ETF Franchise
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock launched the iShares Broad USD Floating Rate Loan ETF (USLN), opening index‑based access to the $1.4T leveraged‑loan market — a distribution/growth opportunity for its ETF business. BlackRock Launches USLN ETF
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional adoption of BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth continues: Intesa Sanpaolo will extend use of Aladdin Wealth for its international banks unit, supporting recurring technology revenue. Intesa Sanpaolo to adopt BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosure: BlackRock disclosed its stake in Finland’s Orion Corp lifted above 5%, a routine holdings disclosure with little immediate impact on BLK’s fundamentals. Orion Corporation disclosure
• Negative Sentiment: Market shock: BlackRock capped withdrawals from a $26B private‑credit vehicle after redemption requests exceeded the periodic limit, prompting a broad selloff in BLK and peers as investors reassess liquidity risk in private credit. Forbes: BlackRock Shares Tumble After Limits
• Negative Sentiment: Credit stress: Reporting says BlackRock took a $25M loan write‑off and faced roughly $1.2B in redemption requests tied to private credit, underscoring valuation and liquidity risks in opaque private loan portfolios. Blockonomi: Loan Write-Off & Redemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Contagion risk: The move put alternative asset managers (Blackstone, Apollo, KKR, Ares, Blue Owl) under scrutiny as investors test redemption mechanics across private‑credit and alternative strategies. Benzinga: Peers Under Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Evercore trimmed its price target modestly, reflecting near‑term caution after the private‑credit developments. Analyst downgrades/target cuts could add selling pressure if more follow. MarketScreener: Evercore Adjusts Price Target

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, Director Stephen Cohen sold 225 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,069.56, for a total value of $240,651.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,054,779.16. This represents a 3.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total transaction of $5,738,776.46. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 in the last 90 days. 1.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.