BlackRock $BLK Shares Sold by Braun Stacey Associates Inc.

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 72.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,172 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 10,753 shares during the quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $4,012,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BLK. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Addison Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s cryptocurrency portfolio reportedly gained more than $15 billion in August, while the firm purchased more than $3.1 billion of Bitcoin and Ethereum-linked assets over eight days. Rising crypto prices and strong inflows into BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs could increase fee revenue and reinforce its position in digital-asset investing. BlackRock cryptocurrency portfolio up by over $15 billion so far in August
• Positive Sentiment: A newer BlackRock ETF is reportedly up 19% this year, outperforming JPMorgan’s popular JEPQ while charging the same fee. Better-performing products may help BlackRock attract assets and expand recurring management fees. BlackRock ETF performance comparison
• Positive Sentiment: Adroit Trading Technologies announced integration with BlackRock’s Aladdin platform, expanding access to cross-asset execution tools for mutual clients. The agreement supports Aladdin’s reach and could modestly strengthen BlackRock’s technology-related revenue opportunity. Adroit Trading Technologies Aladdin integration
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock executives continue to describe Bitcoin as a potential hedge against rising U.S. debt and deficits and say institutional demand is strengthening. This supports the firm’s broader strategy of positioning its ETFs and investment products around digital assets.
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed a significant stake in QIAGEN (QGEN) through a filing with the Dutch financial regulator. The investment may reflect portfolio-management activity, but it is not expected to have a material near-term effect on BLK earnings. BlackRock stake in QIAGEN
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock participated in Piramal Finance’s heavily oversubscribed Indian share offering, highlighting continued institutional demand for its investment-management capabilities but providing limited direct impact on BLK’s financial results.
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s view that the CLARITY Act is less critical for Bitcoin than for other cryptocurrencies suggests the company expects Bitcoin’s institutional adoption to continue even amid regulatory uncertainty.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded BlackRock from “strong buy” to “hold,” potentially adding valuation pressure after the stock’s substantial advance and recent proximity to its 52-week high.
• Negative Sentiment: The Rosen Law Firm announced an investigation into potential securities claims involving BlackRock mutual funds and allegations of misleading business information. The announcement is not a formal finding of wrongdoing, but it creates legal and reputational overhang for investors. Rosen Law Firm BlackRock investigation

BlackRock Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of BLK stock opened at $1,162.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $917.39 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1,079.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,047.58. The stock has a market cap of $180.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.42.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $12.05 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 30.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 55.86 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on BLK. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,260.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,389.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded BlackRock from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,311.06.

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.