BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Monday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on BLK. Argus boosted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,165.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. 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. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,301.00 to $1,407.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,180.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,316.18.

BlackRock Stock Up 1.3%

BLK opened at $1,084.27 on Monday. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $773.74 and a 12 month high of $1,219.94. The company has a market cap of $168.22 billion, a PE ratio of 27.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,068.14 and a 200 day moving average of $1,099.25.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.78 by ($0.23). BlackRock had a net margin of 26.64% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The business had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $11.46 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total value of $13,980,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This represents a 62.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its position in BlackRock by 450.0% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 1,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Garde Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in BlackRock by 107.1% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

More BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional hiring and crypto build-out — Articles highlight that large institutions (including BlackRock) are scaling crypto teams and capabilities, supporting long-term growth prospects for crypto-related AUM and fee revenue. From Revolut to BlackRock: How Institutions Are Hiring for Crypto at Scale
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish ETF thesis — Commentary predicting a top BlackRock ETF will outperform the S&P 500 in 2026 (driven by heavyweight tech holdings) supports investor optimism about fee growth and product strength. Prediction: This Unstoppable BlackRock ETF Will Beat the S&P 500 Again in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Tokenization participation — Reports that BlackRock joined industry moves around RWA/tokenized asset platforms (e.g., Ondo ecosystem) suggest new product channels for institutional clients and potential future AUM expansion. Ondo Finance Leads RWA Tokenization Revolution with $2 Billion Trading Volume in 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly fund commentaries — BlackRock fund commentaries for Q3 2025 outline positioning and performance but contain no immediate market-moving announcements; useful context for portfolio strategy. BlackRock Capital Appreciation V.I. Fund Q3 2025 Commentary BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Fund Q3 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor portfolio adjustments — BlackRock trimming its stake in OMV below a voting threshold and ceasing to be a substantial holder in Genesis Minerals are routine rebalancings with limited direct impact on BLK’s business. BlackRock Trims Stake in OMV Below 4% Voting Rights Threshold BlackRock Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in Genesis Minerals
• Negative Sentiment: Large crypto transfers ahead of options expiry — BlackRock moved over $120M of Bitcoin and Ethereum to Coinbase Prime ahead of a roughly $2.2B options expiry, triggering market concern about forced selling and short-term volatility in crypto ETFs. This heightened volatility can hurt ETF flows and fee revenue. BlackRock Moves Bitcoin and Ethereum, Stirring Sell-Off Fears Ahead of $2.2B Options Expiry BlackRock moves over $120M in Bitcoin and Ethereum to Coinbase Prime
• Negative Sentiment: Year-end crypto ETF outflows — Recent reports show net outflows from US Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs (IBIT and ETHA among the largest moves), which can reduce AUM and fees if the trend persists. Bitcoin ETFs Close the Year with $348M Outflow Ethereum Spot ETFs Update: $72M Withdrawn
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory pressure — A multi-state lawsuit alleging that asset managers (including BlackRock) influenced coal prices introduces legal and reputational risk that could draw investor scrutiny. Red States Sue BlackRock, State Street And Vanguard Over Coal Prices

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.