Eschler Asset Management LLP Buys New Stake in BlackRock $BLK

Eschler Asset Management LLP bought a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 696 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $669,000. BlackRock accounts for about 1.2% of Eschler Asset Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. Oakworth Capital Inc. grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 755 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 212 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Manske Wealth Management boosted its stake in BlackRock by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Manske Wealth Management now owns 345 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Gibson Capital LLC grew its holdings in BlackRock by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 308 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in BlackRock by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 230 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Price Performance

NYSE:BLK opened at $1,171.83 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a current ratio of 3.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,070.33 and a 200-day moving average of $1,044.42. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $917.39 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The company has a market capitalization of $181.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.01, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.42.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $12.05 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 55.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is presently 54.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BLK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded BlackRock from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $1,165.00 to $1,364.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,389.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $1,311.06.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s roughly $965 million investment in Five Below (NASDAQ: FIVE) helped draw attention to its ability to deploy capital into high-growth companies. Five Below also reported strong quarterly results, sending its shares to a record high and potentially highlighting the value of BlackRock’s investment activity. Five Below Stock Soars Following BlackRock Investment
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s covered-call Bitcoin fund reportedly made its first monthly distribution, with an annualized rate of about 18.5%. The product could create a new fee and asset-gathering opportunity, although the high distribution reflects option income and may limit upside participation in Bitcoin. BlackRock Bitcoin Fund Pays First Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock has reiterated that its long-term investment case for Bitcoin remains intact despite a sharp correction. The comments support the firm’s broader digital-asset strategy, but do not directly affect near-term earnings unless they lead to additional fund inflows. BlackRock’s Long-Term Bitcoin Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine disclosures showed BlackRock subsidiaries’ holdings in Stora Enso fell below 5%, while other reports discussed BlackRock ETFs. These items have limited immediate implications for BLK’s fundamentals. BlackRock Subsidiaries Report Stora Enso Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock is reportedly seeking buyers for approximately $671 million of loans held by TCP Capital, using Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to explore a sale. The move is intended to reshape the private-credit vehicle after a difficult period, but it may raise concerns about credit quality, valuation and execution in BlackRock’s private-markets platform. BlackRock Puts TCP Capital Loans on the Block
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm is soliciting investors who experienced losses in BlackRock mutual funds as part of an investigation into alleged misleading disclosures. The announcement is not a formal finding, but it adds legal and reputational risk. BlackRock Investor Rights Investigation

BlackRock Company 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.