Bank of Nova Scotia Boosts Stock Position in BlackRock $BLK

Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 56.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,896 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,591 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $27,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1.1% during the second quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 817 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its stake in BlackRock by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 1,794 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,092,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,444 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,683,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 460 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. boosted its position in BlackRock by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 938 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $984,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total transaction of $22,500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,630,750. The trade was a 24.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total transaction of $58,920,245.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,478 shares in the company, valued at $55,971,514.62. This trade represents a 51.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of BLK opened at $943.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,072.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,090.91. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $773.74 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.63, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.78% and a net margin of 22.93%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $11.93 EPS. Equities analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $5.73 dividend. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is currently 64.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BLK shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. CICC Research boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,308.89.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock launched a new Ethereum ETF (iShares Staked Ethereum Trust, ETHB) that offers staking rewards, a product move likely to attract crypto‑interested AUM and fee revenue. BlackRock launches new ethereum ETF packed with staking rewards
• Positive Sentiment: Cryptos (Bitcoin and Ether) are rising and ETF inflows into crypto products are increasing — a tailwind for BlackRock’s digital assets business and its new crypto ETFs. Bitcoin touches a six-week high as investors pour into ETFs
• Positive Sentiment: Reporting shows BlackRock among the largest public holders of Bitcoin alongside Coinbase and others, reinforcing its role in crypto custody/ETF flows. That positioning supports revenue growth in digital asset products. Strategy Now Among Top 4 Bitcoin Holders, Alongside Satoshi, CoinBase and BlackRock
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock increased its stake in Rentokil Initial above 12% (disclosed), showing active portfolio moves and signaling the firm’s large-scale equity allocations. Rentokil Initial Discloses Increase in BlackRock Stake Above 12%
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline coverage notes BLK outpaced the broader market today — a descriptive take that reflects the intraday move rather than new company fundamentals. Why BlackRock (BLK) Outpaced the Stock Market Today
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock warns in research that Treasuries and government bonds face further selling amid inflation pressures (AI chip demand, oil, military spending) — a market view that may influence client positioning but is not an immediate company credit issue. Treasuries and Other Government Bonds Will Keep Selling Off, BlackRock Says. These Risks Are Lurking.
• Negative Sentiment: Private‑credit stress: multiple reports flag investor redemptions and a potential exit wave from private credit funds (spillover from Blue Owl) — a clear risk for BlackRock’s private credit exposure and related fee/AUM stability. The private credit collapse spreads from Blue Owl to BlackRock Wall Street Lunch: Private Credit Funds Face $10B Investor Exit Wave

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.