Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Buys 494 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 1.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,602 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 494 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $38,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 1,000.0% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Garde Capital Inc. grew its stake in BlackRock by 200.0% during the second quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in BlackRock by 107.1% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large, visible crypto accumulation and custody activity — signals of strong ETF/AUM flows and institutional crypto engagement. BlackRock’s Bitcoin Buying Spree: $878M Accumulated in 3 Straight Days
• Positive Sentiment: Targeted transfers to prime custody suggest active provisioning for client flows — $276M BTC and $83M ETH moved to Coinbase Prime, reinforcing operational scale in digital asset services. BlackRock sends $276M in Bitcoin and $83M in Ethereum to Coinbase Prime
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock leadership frames crypto adoption as early-stage, implying long runway for product expansion and investor demand for Bitcoin/Ethereum ETPs. BlackRock ETF Chief Says ‘Still Very Early Days’ For Bitcoin, Ethereum
• Positive Sentiment: Progress on tokenization: Jupiter’s JupUSD stablecoin uses reserves tied to BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund — a sign BLK’s institutional token initiatives are being used in markets. Jupiter Exchange Launches JupUSD Stablecoin with BlackRock-Backed Reserves
• Positive Sentiment: Company pushback on a policy-driven rumor: BlackRock publicly clarified it does not buy single-family homes after a Trump proposal triggered market moves — reduces misattribution risk. EXCLUSIVE: BlackRock Says It Does Not Buy Single-Family Homes After Trump Proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst note: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed BlackRock’s price target slightly but kept an Outperform rating — a mild re‑calibration rather than a negative shift in view. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers Price Target on BlackRock
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings setup: analysts expect revenue/earnings growth into the upcoming report — a factor that could amplify moves depending on the actual print. BlackRock (BLK) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/holding notices: routine filings show stake adjustments in smaller issuers (Orion), not an immediate signal about core business. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Negative Sentiment: Political risk resurfaced: Trump’s vow to curb institutional homebuyers pressured real‑estate–related stocks and briefly pulled on sentiment toward firms perceived as large landlords. Trump Targets Wall Street Homebuyers: Why BlackRock, Blackstone Are Feeling The Heat
• Negative Sentiment: Media confusion between BlackRock and Blackstone revived headlines and volatility — short-term noise that can amplify intraday swings. Housing proposal revives BlackRock–Blackstone mix-up as markets weigh potential impact

BlackRock Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of BLK opened at $1,087.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 3.33. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $773.74 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.97, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,067.03 and a 200-day moving average of $1,100.94.

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 return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The firm had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $11.46 EPS. BlackRock’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on BLK. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BlackRock in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on BlackRock from $1,322.00 to $1,310.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,486.00 to $1,514.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,313.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. The trade was 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.

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.