Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. Takes Position in BlackRock $BLK

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 5,316 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $6,201,000. BlackRock accounts for approximately 2.1% of Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BLK. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 100.0% in the first quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 200.0% during the second quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional hiring and crypto build-out — Articles highlight that large institutions (including BlackRock) are scaling crypto teams and capabilities, supporting long-term growth prospects for crypto-related AUM and fee revenue. From Revolut to BlackRock: How Institutions Are Hiring for Crypto at Scale
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish ETF thesis — Commentary predicting a top BlackRock ETF will outperform the S&P 500 in 2026 (driven by heavyweight tech holdings) supports investor optimism about fee growth and product strength. Prediction: This Unstoppable BlackRock ETF Will Beat the S&P 500 Again in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Tokenization participation — Reports that BlackRock joined industry moves around RWA/tokenized asset platforms (e.g., Ondo ecosystem) suggest new product channels for institutional clients and potential future AUM expansion. Ondo Finance Leads RWA Tokenization Revolution with $2 Billion Trading Volume in 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly fund commentaries — BlackRock fund commentaries for Q3 2025 outline positioning and performance but contain no immediate market-moving announcements; useful context for portfolio strategy. BlackRock Capital Appreciation V.I. Fund Q3 2025 Commentary BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Fund Q3 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor portfolio adjustments — BlackRock trimming its stake in OMV below a voting threshold and ceasing to be a substantial holder in Genesis Minerals are routine rebalancings with limited direct impact on BLK’s business. BlackRock Trims Stake in OMV Below 4% Voting Rights Threshold BlackRock Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in Genesis Minerals
• Negative Sentiment: Large crypto transfers ahead of options expiry — BlackRock moved over $120M of Bitcoin and Ethereum to Coinbase Prime ahead of a roughly $2.2B options expiry, triggering market concern about forced selling and short-term volatility in crypto ETFs. This heightened volatility can hurt ETF flows and fee revenue. BlackRock Moves Bitcoin and Ethereum, Stirring Sell-Off Fears Ahead of $2.2B Options Expiry BlackRock moves over $120M in Bitcoin and Ethereum to Coinbase Prime
• Negative Sentiment: Year-end crypto ETF outflows — Recent reports show net outflows from US Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs (IBIT and ETHA among the largest moves), which can reduce AUM and fees if the trend persists. Bitcoin ETFs Close the Year with $348M Outflow Ethereum Spot ETFs Update: $72M Withdrawn
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory pressure — A multi-state lawsuit alleging that asset managers (including BlackRock) influenced coal prices introduces legal and reputational risk that could draw investor scrutiny. Red States Sue BlackRock, State Street And Vanguard Over Coal Prices

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total value of $13,980,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This represents a 62.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total transaction of $1,312,572.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK stock opened at $1,084.27 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1,068.14 and a 200-day moving average of $1,099.25. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $773.74 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market cap of $168.22 billion, a PE ratio of 27.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.47.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.78 by ($0.23). BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The company had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $5.21 per share. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 53.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Citigroup boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,486.00 to $1,514.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,316.18.

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.