BlackRock $BLK Shares Sold by Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. trimmed its position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 1.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 35,244 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 463 shares during the quarter. BlackRock comprises 1.3% of Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $41,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in BlackRock by 1,000.0% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 107.1% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 87.5% during the 2nd quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of BLK opened at $1,109.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 3.33. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market cap of $172.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,073.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,106.12.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.14% and a net margin of 22.93%.BlackRock’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $11.93 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is 58.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted BlackRock favorably on TV, a short-term retail/investor sentiment boost that can support the stock. “Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner,” Says Jim Cramer About BlackRock (BLK)
• Positive Sentiment: Delaware Life will use BlackRock’s iShares ETFs (including the iShares Bitcoin Trust) inside a new annuity index — a distribution win that can expand AUM and fee revenues over time. Delaware Life Adds Bitcoin Exposure to Fixed Annuity via BlackRock
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed an increase in its voting stake in Siemens Energy to just over 8% — indicative of active, large-cap equity allocations that reflect use of capital and engagement. Institutional stake-building can be viewed positively by investors. BlackRock Raises Voting Stake in Siemens Energy to Just Over 8%
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced January cash distributions for many iShares ETFs — regular distributions reinforce the firm’s ETF cash-flow profile and support investor confidence in iShares product demand. BlackRock® Canada Announces January Cash Distributions for the iShares® ETFs
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock executives had a visible presence at Davos (Hildebrand interview; Larry Fink comments). Leadership commentary shapes long-term narrative but doesn’t produce immediate revenue changes. Davos: BlackRock’s Hildebrand on Geopolitics, Europe’s Role, AI BlackRock’s billionaire CEO warns AI could be capitalism’s next big failure…
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/appointments chatter: reports name BlackRock’s Rick Rieder among finalists for Fed chair — a reputational/regulatory story that could carry strategic implications but is uncertain in timing and effect. BlackRock’s Rick Rieder Reportedly Among Final Contenders For Fed Chair Role
• Neutral Sentiment: Disclosure notices (Caledonia Mining, Orion Corporation) report BlackRock crossing shareholding thresholds in multiple firms — these are routine regulatory filings that signal portfolio activity but don’t directly change BLK fundamentals. Caledonia Mining Reports BlackRock Stake Increase Above AIM Disclosure Threshold Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10…
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. Bitcoin ETFs saw large daily net outflows (~$488M), including notable outflows from BlackRock’s IBIT (~$56.9M) and Fidelity’s FBTC — ETF outflows reduce AUM and management fees if sustained. Bitcoin ETFs Log Off $488.38M as GBTC by Grayscale Takes the Lead
• Negative Sentiment: Crypto rumor: claims that BlackRock made a billion-dollar XRP purchase circulated — if true, large crypto bets could raise volatility and regulatory/PR scrutiny; the story remains unverified and could create short-term uncertainty. Did BlackRock Make A Billion-Dollar XRP Bet? Here’s The Real Tea

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $1,209.00 target price (down from $1,407.00) on shares of BlackRock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,313.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 price target on BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, BlackRock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,314.71.

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.