Aristotle Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Blackstone Inc. $BX

Aristotle Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) by 4.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,216,518 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 238,854 shares during the quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Blackstone were worth $599,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Blackstone by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 100,951 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $15,561,000 after buying an additional 8,321 shares during the last quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Blackstone by 1,034.3% in the fourth quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,940 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 12,711 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Blackstone by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 249,009 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,543,000 after purchasing an additional 19,603 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,667,695 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $11,046,859,000 after purchasing an additional 840,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benson Investment Management Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,856,000. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blackstone Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of NYSE:BX opened at $129.72 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $120.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.84. Blackstone Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.73 and a 1-year high of $190.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $96.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.58.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $5.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. Blackstone had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 21.84%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.85 EPS for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is an increase from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. Blackstone’s payout ratio is presently 103.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on Blackstone from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on shares of Blackstone from $134.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. HSBC reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Blackstone in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $122.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Blackstone from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.76.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Treasury Holdings I. Blackstone acquired 9,486,795 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $20.00 per share, with a total value of $189,735,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,111,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,236,000. The trade was a -2,529.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ruth Porat bought 355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $123.04 per share, for a total transaction of $43,679.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 41,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,145,286.72. The trade was a 0.86% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 10,252,345 shares of company stock worth $209,789,893 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Blackstone News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $1.52 versus expectations around $1.33-$1.34 and revenue of $5.04 billion versus $3.42 billion expected, signaling better-than-expected operating performance. Blackstone Inc. (BX) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management hit a record $1.35 trillion, helped by nearly $70 billion in quarterly inflows, which suggests Blackstone continues to attract capital even in a tougher fundraising environment. Blackstone’s quarterly profit gets boost from asset pile, AI investment gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted that AI-related investments are starting to pay off, with gains across data centers, infrastructure, credit, and private markets boosting profit and growth prospects. BX Q2 Earnings Call Highlights AI Strategy & Fundraising Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Blackstone to $169 from $161 and kept an outperform rating, underscoring improved analyst confidence in the stock. Analyst price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Blackstone is also in the final bidding for yacht retailer MarineMax, a potential acquisition that could expand its deal flow, though the impact on earnings is still uncertain. Blackstone, Donerail among final bidders for yacht retailer MarineMax, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, which is supportive for income-focused investors, but this is a smaller near-term driver than the earnings beat and AI-related growth narrative. Dividend announcement

About Blackstone

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.