First Trust Advisors LP Decreases Stake in BlackRock $BLK

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 36.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 142,210 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 82,365 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.09% of BlackRock worth $136,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the second quarter worth approximately $548,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the second quarter worth approximately $98,000. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BLK opened at $1,039.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $161.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.43. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $917.39 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,030.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,041.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.09 and a quick ratio of 4.09.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.73 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $12.05 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that BlackRock will post 55.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

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

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

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 stock was sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total value of $9,233,627.40. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total value of $35,613,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $242,168,583.80. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BLK. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their price target on BlackRock from $1,238.00 to $1,105.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised BlackRock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,145.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $1,304.29.

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.