Insider Selling: BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) CFO Sells $31,675,823.58 in Stock

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. This represents a 71.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Martin Small also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 1st, Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of BlackRock stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04.

BlackRock Price Performance

BlackRock stock opened at $1,130.09 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 $175.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,077.56 and a 200-day moving average of $1,106.88.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.14% and a net margin of 22.93%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $11.93 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is a positive change from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter worth $2,644,007,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in BlackRock by 105,267.4% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,789,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,280 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,104,122,000 after acquiring an additional 842,901 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1,962.0% in the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 792,494 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $831,524,000 after purchasing an additional 754,060 shares during the period. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 217.5% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 619,492 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $722,247,000 after purchasing an additional 424,388 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on BLK. UBS Group set a $1,280.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on BlackRock from $1,310.00 to $1,340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BlackRock from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,314.71.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s CIO of Global Fixed Income, is being talked about as a frontrunner for U.S. Federal Reserve chair after public praise from President Trump — a nomination would raise BlackRock’s influence on policy and could benefit business lines sensitive to rates and Fed guidance. BlackRock’s Rick Rieder surges ahead in race to chair Federal Reserve
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Larry Fink’s Davos push for rapid tokenization and a “common blockchain” reinforces BlackRock’s product roadmap (e.g., BUIDL money-market token on Ethereum with >$2B TVL), supporting potential new fee-bearing AUM and competitive crypto custody flows. Ethereum Emerges As Likely Candidate In BlackRock Tokenization Vision – Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: On-chain activity consistent with institutional crypto adoption: BlackRock-linked wallets transferred large amounts of bitcoin and ether into Coinbase Prime, signaling operational movement toward custody and trading channels for crypto products. This supports potential inflows to related ETFs and products over time. BlackRock-linked wallets move over $430 million in bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock increased its stake in AngloGold Ashanti to just over 10% — a material equity position that signals active portfolio deployment and could deliver strategic or performance upside in commodities exposure. BlackRock Lifts Stake in AngloGold Ashanti to Just Over 10%
• Neutral Sentiment: Larry Fink’s broader Davos commentary (AI, inequality and markets) sets strategic narrative for the firm but is more about reputation and long-term positioning than an immediate earnings catalyst. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: ‘What Happens to Everyone Else’ If AI Fuels Inequality?
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine portfolio disclosures: BlackRock adjusted holdings (e.g., BAWAG voting rights), reflecting normal active positioning rather than a direct AUM driver. Investors should treat these as portfolio-management signals. BlackRock Adjusts Stake in BAWAG Group to 5.83% of Voting Rights
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Martin Small sold ~27,000 shares (~$31.7M) in mid-January; while insider sales aren’t uncommon, the size of the transaction can spook short-term investors. SEC Form 4 — Martin Small sale
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term headwinds in crypto products: U.S. bitcoin ETFs posted net outflows recently, a drag on fee revenue tied to IBIT and other crypto strategies. Bitcoin ETFs Log Off — Outflows
• Negative Sentiment: Unconfirmed reports of a large BlackRock XRP purchase circulated in crypto media — a speculative noise item that could invite regulatory scrutiny or investor overreaction until verified. Unverified BlackRock XRP purchase reports

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.