KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Grows Holdings in Blackstone Inc. $BX

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS raised its position in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 266,000 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,500 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s holdings in Blackstone were worth $41,001,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Family CFO Inc purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Blackstone Stock Down 0.2%

BX opened at $128.70 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Blackstone Inc. has a 1 year low of $101.73 and a 1 year high of $190.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $116.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.83. The company has a market cap of $95.52 billion, a PE ratio of 33.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.74.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 41.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Blackstone Inc. will post 6.16 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is an increase from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. This represents a $5.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio is presently 153.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Blackstone from $171.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Blackstone in a report on Monday. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Blackstone in a report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Blackstone in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $158.00 to $138.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.00.

Insider Transactions at Blackstone

In other news, major shareholder Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $15,961,420.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 7,477,504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.51, for a total transaction of $26,246,039.04. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,670.32. The trade was a 99.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone was singled out as a top Q4 performer in an industry earnings review, highlighting stronger-than-peer results that reinforce the firm’s earnings momentum and fee-generation story. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Jersey Mike’s Subs — a portfolio company backed by Blackstone — filed confidentially for an IPO, creating a potential near‑term liquidity/event risk that could be a valuation catalyst for BX if sizing and timing are attractive. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Independent bullish research is in the market — 24/7 Wall St. is projecting a roughly $140 price target and a BUY view, signaling some investors still see upside as the recovery continues. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: A separate note raised BX’s target to $142, adding incremental support that some analysts view the pullback as a buying opportunity. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target from $215 to $184 but kept an Overweight rating — a mixed signal: lower near-term valuation math but ongoing conviction in long‑term upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC modestly cut its target (from $179 to $176) while keeping an Outperform — another small downward tweak that likely reflects macro/valuation inputs rather than a change to the fundamental thesis. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting S&P 500 index signals and positioning shifts may be influencing flows into/away from large-cap asset managers like BX but without clear directional news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: A non-company press release used the name “Blackstone” for a roofing shingle product — irrelevant to BX fundamentals but potentially noisy in search/coverage. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: J.P. Morgan moved to a Hold on BX, which can sap momentum since it reduces buy-side conviction from a major broker. Read More.

Blackstone Company Profile

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.