Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Blackstone “Moderate Buy”: Of 24 analysts, 13 recommend buying and 11 recommend holding, with an average 12-month price target of $147.95.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: Blackstone reported $1.52 in EPS versus the $1.34 consensus and $5.04 billion in revenue, up 35.9% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.29, or $5.16 annualized.
• Expansion opportunities support the outlook: Blackstone is pursuing investments in Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, real estate and AI-infrastructure financing, although potential changes to debt-funded cash returns and recent insider sales add uncertainty.

Shares of Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $147.9524.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BX shares. Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on shares of Blackstone from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Dbs Bank upgraded Blackstone to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. HSBC restated a "hold" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Blackstone in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Blackstone from $136.00 to $132.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Blackstone from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th.

Blackstone Stock Down 0.3%

BX stock opened at $146.71 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $125.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.56. The stock has a market cap of $110.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.82, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.56. Blackstone has a twelve month low of $101.73 and a twelve month high of $190.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $5.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.42 billion. Blackstone had a net margin of 21.84% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The firm's revenue was up 35.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Blackstone will post 6 EPS for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a $1.29 dividend. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Blackstone's previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. Blackstone's payout ratio is presently 115.44%.

Insider Activity at Blackstone

In other Blackstone news, insider Vikrant Sawhney sold 30,000 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.55, for a total value of $4,066,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 869,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,883,632.95. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Private Multi-Asset Blackstone purchased 765,111 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.14 per share, for a total transaction of $20,000,001.54. Following the purchase, the insider owned 7,882,145 shares in the company, valued at approximately $206,039,270.30. This represents a 10.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 10,825,975 shares of company stock valued at $224,798,333 and sold 7,562,000 shares valued at $40,331,085. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC purchased a new position in Blackstone in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 70.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Blackstone

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone and Quebec pension fund La Caisse agreed to acquire a 25% stake in Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program for nearly $2 billion. The transaction expands Blackstone’s exposure to consumer and alternative-asset investments and could support future fee-related earnings. Blackstone, La Caisse to Buy 25% of Air Canada's Aeroplan Loyalty Program
• Positive Sentiment: A Blackstone-backed consortium is reportedly set to acquire 27 properties from H&R REIT, adding to the firm’s real-estate portfolio and creating potential management and investment-fee revenue. Blackstone Real Estate-Backed Consortium to Acquire 27 Properties From H&R REIT
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone is one of six financial firms partnering with Nvidia to help mobilize more than $500 billion for AI-infrastructure financing. The initiative could provide long-term origination, asset-management and financing opportunities, although returns will depend on execution and demand for AI capacity. Nvidia Targets Over $500 Billion for AI Infrastructure Financing
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Ruth Porat purchased a combined 455 BX shares for roughly $62,400, modestly increasing her holdings. The purchases may signal confidence but are small relative to Blackstone’s market capitalization. Blackstone Insider Purchase Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate Blackstone is considering abandoning a plan to raise approximately $3 billion of debt to fund cash returns. Scrapping the proposal could reduce near-term financial flexibility for distributions and has added uncertainty around capital allocation. Blackstone Considers Scrapping $3B Stakes-for-Cash Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Two insiders sold a combined 54,500 shares for about $8 million. Chief Accounting Officer David Payne reduced his position by 12.85%, while John G. Finley cut his holdings by 8.02%; the sales may weigh on sentiment, though insider transactions can reflect personal financial planning. Blackstone Insider Sale Filing

Blackstone Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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