Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Acquires 550 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,180 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. BlackRock comprises about 2.1% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $36,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,201,000. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $700,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 6,347.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 42,234 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $49,239,000 after purchasing an additional 41,579 shares during the last quarter. Sienna Gestion raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 51.5% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $83,247,000. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock filed for an iShares Nasdaq‑100 ETF (ticker IQQ), joining State Street in directly challenging Invesco’s QQQ — a move that could win large passive flows if BlackRock competes on fees and brand, and reshape ETF market share in a $300B+ segment. BLK & STT Enter Nasdaq 100 Index ETFs, Challenge Invesco QQQ Fund
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have revised Q1 estimates ahead of BlackRock’s April 14 earnings call with several firms expecting higher Q1 earnings — a catalyst that can help validate management’s growth narrative and support the stock into the print. BlackRock Likely To Report Higher Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Spot crypto ETFs and institutional buying (including BlackRock) continue to see meaningful inflows (recent single‑day Bitcoin ETF inflows and ETH ETF momentum) — supporting fee income and AUM growth in BlackRock’s digital products. Bitcoin ETFs See Strongest Single-Day Inflow Since February
• Neutral Sentiment: Several brokers trimmed BlackRock price targets (Barclays, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Jefferies, Goldman) but largely kept buy/overweight ratings — suggests modest near‑term valuation downtick expectations while sentiment from analysts remains constructive. Barclays Adjusts Price Target on BlackRock
• Neutral Sentiment: The SEC’s approval of dual‑class fund share structures and BlackRock’s related moves create structural flexibility (mutual fund + ETF share classes) — may change product packaging but impact on near‑term revenue is uncertain. BlackRock Moves On Dual Class Funds And Nasdaq 100 ETF Competition
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/holding notices: BlackRock reduced its stake in WPP and ceased being a substantial holder in Technology One — routine portfolio moves that have limited direct impact on BLK’s operating results. BlackRock Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in Technology One
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock reported over $20B of decline in the value of its on‑chain crypto portfolio in Q1 (price declines offset BTC accumulation and ETH outflows) — a headline that can weigh on fee growth and investor sentiment around digital asset strategies. BlackRock Sees Over $20 Billion in Cryptocurrency Outflows in Q1 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Large outflows from BlackRock’s India ETF amid geopolitical concerns (Iran war) highlight regional AUM sensitivity and can pressure fees tied to EM product lines. Billions Flow Out of BlackRock’s India ETF as Iran War Escalates
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz has opened an investor investigation into BlackRock — potential litigation headlines can create episodic downside risk even if outcomes are uncertain. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,363,724.98. This trade represents a 71.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 385 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,084.91, for a total transaction of $417,690.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,335 shares in the company, valued at $3,618,174.85. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BLK. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,341.00 to $1,181.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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 report on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,350.00 to $1,290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of BlackRock from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,280.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,269.11.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $1,001.44 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.27, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $799.15 and a 12 month high of $1,219.94. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,020.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,072.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $11.93 EPS. Analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is 64.71%.

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.