BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on BlackRock to $1,240 (from $1,150) and kept an "outperform" rating, implying about a 17.6% upside
• BlackRock beat Q1 expectations (EPS $12.53 vs. $12.40; revenue $6.7B vs. $6.56B) and reported record iShares/ETF inflows (~$130B) with AUM near $13.9T, supporting fee growth and margins.
• Near‑term sentiment risks include sizable insider selling (111,319 shares, roughly $124M in the last 90 days), a Pomerantz investor litigation inquiry, and analyst concerns about private‑credit exposure and higher expenses.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $1,150.00 to $1,240.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the asset manager's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price would suggest a potential upside of 17.60% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,393.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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. CICC Research raised their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $1,220.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,255.89.

BlackRock Stock Performance

NYSE:BLK opened at $1,054.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,013.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,069.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.01 billion, a PE ratio of 29.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $845.82 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $12.40 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.56 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. BlackRock's revenue for the quarter was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.64 EPS. Analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at $12,363,724.98. The trade was a 71.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Stephen Cohen sold 2,179 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,073.87, for a total transaction of $2,339,962.73. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,026,331.41. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter worth $459,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in BlackRock by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 216,566 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $231,800,000 after buying an additional 53,657 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,932 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $4,210,000 after buying an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. ARP Global Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter valued at about $9,633,000. Finally, Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth about $467,000. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and financials — BlackRock reported stronger‑than‑expected Q1 results (EPS $12.53; revenue $6.7B), rising net income and a larger dividend, driven by higher investment and performance fees. This is the primary driver of today’s upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Record ETF and net inflows — iShares/ETF inflows fueled $130bn in net client inflows and AUM near $13.9T, supporting fee growth and margins. That flow momentum underpins optimism about recurring revenue. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlook — BlackRock management flagged opportunity in private credit and reiterated a bullish view on U.S. stocks and AI‑related themes, suggesting multiple growth levers beyond passive ETF flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Risk‑management advice for clients — BlackRock’s hedge‑fund team is advising investors to diversify hedge‑fund exposures amid faster market swings from AI/geopolitics; this is thought‑leadership rather than a direct earnings mover. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Volatility expectations — Options traders had been pricing a sizable move around earnings (expected swings), which can amplify intraday moves but does not change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downward adjustment — JPMorgan trimmed BlackRock’s price target and kept a neutral rating, which can cap upside and signal more cautious sentiment among institutional analysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation inquiry — A Pomerantz LLP investor investigation was announced, creating a legal/PR overhang that could weigh on sentiment until clarified. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution on exposure — Some commentators flag private‑credit exposure and higher expenses as reasons for caution despite the beat, which could limit multiple expansion. Read More.

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.

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