Deutsche Bank AG Trims Stake in BlackRock $BLK

Deutsche Bank AG reduced its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 20.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 406,773 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 105,837 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.26% of BlackRock worth $435,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,742,680,000. Oak Harvest Investment Services increased its holdings in BlackRock by 12,176.1% during the fourth quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 1,595,153 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,707,356,000 after buying an additional 1,582,159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Owl Capital Holdings LP purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,012,487,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in BlackRock by 217.5% during the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 619,492 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $722,247,000 after buying an additional 424,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in BlackRock by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,070,468 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,216,105,000 after buying an additional 253,314 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock announced a new Bitcoin Premium Income ETF with a 0.65% fee, pricing it below some rivals as it prepares to compete for crypto-focused assets. The move could support fee revenue and reinforce BlackRock’s leadership in digital-asset ETFs. BlackRock Unveils 0.65% Fee Structure for Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BITA)
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock continues to dominate U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF flows alongside Fidelity, suggesting strong demand for its iShares crypto products even as broader Bitcoin ETF flows have been volatile. BlackRock and Fidelity Dominate U.S. Bitcoin ETF Flows
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock also launched a new space exploration ETF, adding another thematic product that could attract investor inflows and highlight its ability to expand into fast-growing niches. BlackRock Launches Space ETF as Sector Pulls In $8 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock confirmed a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, reinforcing its strong cash-generation profile and shareholder-return appeal. BlackRock Inc (BLK) Offers Dividend As It Sees Crypto Shaping Markets
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock sold about $230 million in Bitcoin while buying Ethereum, which may reflect portfolio rebalancing within its crypto strategy rather than a clear bullish or bearish signal for the stock. BlackRock sells $230M in Bitcoin while scooping up Ethereum in notable portfolio shift
• Neutral Sentiment: An Orion Corporation filing showed BlackRock’s ownership fell below 5%, but this looks like a routine holdings disclosure and is unlikely to materially affect BLK shares on its own. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s commentary warning about quantum-computing risks to Bitcoin and Ethereum is notable for the crypto industry, but it is more of a long-term risk discussion than an immediate driver for BLK stock. BlackRock Warns Bitcoin And Ethereum Investors About Quantum Computing

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total value of $9,233,627.40. Following the sale, the president directly owned 210,186 shares in the company, valued at $222,082,527.60. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total transaction of $35,613,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 230,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $242,168,583.80. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK opened at $1,012.13 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.40, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,037.26 and a 200 day moving average of $1,051.48. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $917.39 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.09.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.40 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.56 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.40% and a return on equity of 14.74%. BlackRock’s quarterly revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 52.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 57.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on BLK. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BlackRock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Evercore decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,220.00 to $1,140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,269.00 to $1,128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,264.61.

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.