Bank of Montreal Can Acquires 4,435 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 198,178 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,435 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.13% of BlackRock worth $231,050,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its stake in BlackRock by 1.1% during the second quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 817 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $857,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.5% during the third quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 1,794 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,092,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,444 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,683,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC boosted its stake in BlackRock by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 460 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its position in BlackRock by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 752 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market context: BLK outperformed a soft market session, suggesting relative demand for the stock as investors rotated into large-cap asset managers. BlackRock (BLK) Rises As Market Takes A Dip: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto/ETF activity: Continued movement related to BlackRock’s spot crypto ETF franchise (ETHA/BTC exposure) — including large transfers of BTC/ETH to Coinbase and commentary on ETHA — keeps BLK central to ETF-driven flows that can lift AUM and fee momentum. BlackRock Transfers 2,200 BTC and 2,417 ETH to Coinbase
• Neutral Sentiment: Product positioning: Discussion about BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust and factor-rotation ETF (DYNF) highlights growth opportunities from new ETF products, but also execution and regulatory risk that could reshape returns. Regulation Catalysts Would Completely Reshape BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/commodities view: BlackRock’s research calling for further gains in gold and silver could support its trading and market-making revenues and appeal to investors rotating into inflation hedges. BlackRock sees further gains for both gold and silver
• Negative Sentiment: Private credit stress: Redemption caps and gating across private-credit vehicles (HLEND, HPS Corporate Lending Fund) have drawn attention — raising concerns about liquidity management, potential AUM pressure and reputational risk for asset managers. BlackRock Won’t Let Billionaires Cash Out of Its $26B Fund. That Should Worry Everyone.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/chip-downside: Evercore trimmed BLK’s price target after an early review of February flows (Outperform maintained but PT reduced), a modest negative for sentiment and upside expectations. BlackRock (BLK) Price Target Reduced by Evercore ISI
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/investigations noise: Law firms are circulating class-action and shareholder investigation notices (including matters tied to BlackRock entities), which can add short-term headline risk and investor caution. BlackRock, Inc. Shareholders Are Encouraged to Reach Out

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on BLK. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of BlackRock from a “moderate buy” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,313.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,308.89.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total value of $58,920,245.10. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 51,478 shares in the company, valued at $55,971,514.62. This represents a 51.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Stephen Cohen sold 2,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,073.87, for a total transaction of $2,339,962.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,026,331.41. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of BlackRock stock opened at $967.58 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $150.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.48. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,084.34 and its 200 day moving average is $1,096.56. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $773.74 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $11.93 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.71%.

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.