Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. Makes New Investment in BlackRock $BLK

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,316 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $6,201,000. BlackRock makes up about 2.1% of Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mechanics Bank Trust Department boosted its stake in BlackRock by 1.2% in the third quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 3,497 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,077,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in BlackRock by 1.1% in the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,306 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $10,849,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 350 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 3rd quarter valued at about $257,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management boosted its position in BlackRock by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 281 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

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 transaction of $1,312,572.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BLK shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on BlackRock from $1,390.00 to $1,322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Bank of America increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on BlackRock from $1,360.00 to $1,340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,316.18.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of BlackRock stock opened at $1,084.27 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,068.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,099.25. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $773.74 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $168.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.88, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.47.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.78 by ($0.23). BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The company had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $11.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $5.21 per share. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 53.59%.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

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.