Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Sells 37,669 Shares of Blackstone Inc. $BX

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its holdings in shares of Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 614,323 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 37,669 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 0.08% of Blackstone worth $70,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Family CFO Inc bought a new stake in Blackstone during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Trading Up 4.2%

NYSE:BX opened at $129.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.02, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.58. Blackstone Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.73 and a 1-year high of $190.09. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $120.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.18. Blackstone had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 21.84%.The company had revenue of $5.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Blackstone’s revenue was up 35.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $1.29 dividend. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. This is a boost from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Blackstone news, Director Ruth Porat bought 355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $123.04 per share, with a total value of $43,679.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 41,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,145,286.72. The trade was a 0.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Treasury Holdings I. Blackstone purchased 9,486,795 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $20.00 per share, for a total transaction of $189,735,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,111,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $182,236,000. This trade represents a -2,529.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 10,252,345 shares of company stock worth $209,789,893 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Blackstone

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $1.52 versus expectations around $1.33-$1.34 and revenue of $5.04 billion versus $3.42 billion expected, signaling better-than-expected operating performance. Blackstone Inc. (BX) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management hit a record $1.35 trillion, helped by nearly $70 billion in quarterly inflows, which suggests Blackstone continues to attract capital even in a tougher fundraising environment. Blackstone’s quarterly profit gets boost from asset pile, AI investment gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted that AI-related investments are starting to pay off, with gains across data centers, infrastructure, credit, and private markets boosting profit and growth prospects. BX Q2 Earnings Call Highlights AI Strategy & Fundraising Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Blackstone to $169 from $161 and kept an outperform rating, underscoring improved analyst confidence in the stock. Analyst price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Blackstone is also in the final bidding for yacht retailer MarineMax, a potential acquisition that could expand its deal flow, though the impact on earnings is still uncertain. Blackstone, Donerail among final bidders for yacht retailer MarineMax, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, which is supportive for income-focused investors, but this is a smaller near-term driver than the earnings beat and AI-related growth narrative. Dividend announcement

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on BX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Blackstone from $161.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Blackstone from $122.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Blackstone from $114.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Blackstone from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on shares of Blackstone from $134.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.76.

Blackstone Profile

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.