BlackRock $BLK Shares Acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 283.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 143,236 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 105,855 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $137,751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BLK. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in BlackRock by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 72,806 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $70,018,000 after purchasing an additional 3,829 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in BlackRock by 21.1% during the first quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 178 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC An ESL Co purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the first quarter valued at about $912,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 919.4% in the first quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,059,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the period. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 16.9% in the first quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 76 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, is leading a rebound in Bitcoin ETF flows, with inflows extending to seven straight days and nearly $1 billion returning to the category. That supports sentiment around BlackRock’s fast-growing ETF business. BlackRock’s IBIT Leads Nearly $1B Bitcoin ETF Recovery as Inflows Hit 7 Straight Days
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock also gained attention for joining Strategy, Coinbase, and others in a $15 million Bitcoin security consortium aimed at funding quantum-resistant protections for the network, reinforcing its role as a major institutional player in crypto infrastructure. BlackRock, Coinbase and Strategy Pledge $15M to Quantum-Proof Bitcoin
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to lean into large-scale infrastructure finance, including reports that BlackRock is helping fund Meta’s data-center buildout and that its Global Infrastructure Partners unit is exploring securitization tied to private capital stakes, which highlights fee-generating opportunities in private markets and AI-related investing. BlackRock Leads $12B Meta Data Center Debt, Buys Aligned
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock declared a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, which underscores steady cash generation and may attract income-focused investors, but is not a major new growth catalyst. BlackRock Declares Quarterly Dividend of $5.73 on Common Stock
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm announced an investigation into potential securities claims involving BlackRock mutual funds, which could create legal overhang and weigh on sentiment if the probe gains traction. BlackRock Investor News: If You Have Suffered Losses in BlackRock, Inc. Mutual Funds, You Are Encouraged to Contact The Rosen Law Firm About Your Rights

BlackRock Price Performance

NYSE BLK opened at $1,039.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,030.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,041.96. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $917.39 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $161.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.43. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.73 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $12.05 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 55.63 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,145.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,389.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on BlackRock from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,304.29.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total transaction of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 210,186 shares in the company, valued at $222,082,527.60. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total transaction of $35,613,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $242,168,583.80. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.