Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Lowers Stake in BlackRock $BLK

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lessened its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,460 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,247 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $25,443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in BlackRock during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,270.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target 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, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,389.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One investment 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, BlackRock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,311.06.

BlackRock Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of BlackRock stock opened at $1,127.43 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,084.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,048.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $174.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.41. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $917.39 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94. The company has a current ratio of 3.59, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

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

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

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

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Orion added BlackRock’s model portfolios to its Tailored Allocation Portfolios platform, alongside Fidelity and Vanguard. The partnership broadens access to BlackRock strategies and could support future asset gathering and fee revenue. Orion Adds BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, and Vanguard to Tailored Allocation Portfolios
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock was the primary driver of a rebound in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF flows, with its iShares Bitcoin Trust contributing substantially to approximately $216.7 million of industrywide net inflows. Continued demand can increase assets under management and fee income. BlackRock drives $217M Bitcoin ETF rebound
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized Treasury fund reportedly reclaimed the leading position in the tokenized Treasury market, reaching roughly $2.8 billion in market value. This reinforces the firm’s position in digital assets and blockchain-based investment products. BlackRock’s BUIDL Reclaims Top Spot for Tokenized Treasuries
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock reportedly warned that hyperscalers could face approximately $100 billion in AI-related debt, highlighting risks from elevated AI infrastructure spending. The comments may weigh on broader risk sentiment but do not represent a reported change to BlackRock’s earnings outlook. BlackRock Sounds the Alarm on a $100 Billion AI Debt Problem
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm announced an investigation into potential securities claims involving BlackRock mutual funds, alleging misleading business information. The allegations are preliminary, but the headline creates legal and reputational risk. Rosen Law Firm Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: A former BlackRock employee filed a lawsuit seeking $12 million over alleged unpaid carried interest. The financial exposure appears limited relative to BlackRock’s size, but the case could expose details about compensation practices. Ex-BlackRock Employee Sues for $12M

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.