Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK – Free Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,806 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 3,829 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in BlackRock were worth $70,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Birchbrook Inc. bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total transaction of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 210,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $222,082,527.60. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total value of $35,613,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,516 shares in the company, valued at $242,168,583.80. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock
- Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, is leading a rebound in Bitcoin ETF flows, with inflows extending to seven straight days and nearly $1 billion returning to the category. That supports sentiment around BlackRock’s fast-growing ETF business. BlackRock’s IBIT Leads Nearly $1B Bitcoin ETF Recovery as Inflows Hit 7 Straight Days
- Positive Sentiment: BlackRock also gained attention for joining Strategy, Coinbase, and others in a $15 million Bitcoin security consortium aimed at funding quantum-resistant protections for the network, reinforcing its role as a major institutional player in crypto infrastructure. BlackRock, Coinbase and Strategy Pledge $15M to Quantum-Proof Bitcoin
- Positive Sentiment: The company continues to lean into large-scale infrastructure finance, including reports that BlackRock is helping fund Meta’s data-center buildout and that its Global Infrastructure Partners unit is exploring securitization tied to private capital stakes, which highlights fee-generating opportunities in private markets and AI-related investing. BlackRock Leads $12B Meta Data Center Debt, Buys Aligned
- Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock declared a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, which underscores steady cash generation and may attract income-focused investors, but is not a major new growth catalyst. BlackRock Declares Quarterly Dividend of $5.73 on Common Stock
- Negative Sentiment: A law firm announced an investigation into potential securities claims involving BlackRock mutual funds, which could create legal overhang and weigh on sentiment if the probe gains traction. BlackRock Investor News: If You Have Suffered Losses in BlackRock, Inc. Mutual Funds, You Are Encouraged to Contact The Rosen Law Firm About Your Rights
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BLK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,389.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,258.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $1,304.29.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on BlackRock
BlackRock Stock Down 1.7%
BlackRock stock opened at $1,039.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $161.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 4.09, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,030.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,041.96. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $917.39 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94.
BlackRock (NYSE:BLK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.01% and a net margin of 24.09%.The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $12.05 earnings per share. BlackRock’s revenue was up 30.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that BlackRock will post 55.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.
BlackRock Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.78%.
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.
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