3,276 Shares in BlackRock $BLK Purchased by R Squared Ltd

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd opened a new position in BlackRock, buying 3,276 shares in Q4 valued at about $3.51 million, which represents ~1.6% of its portfolio and is its third-largest holding.
• Insiders have been net sellers: COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares for roughly $58.92 million (a 51.28% reduction in his stake), and insiders sold 64,272 shares worth about $69.82 million over the past 90 days.
• Positive analyst and operational signals: BlackRock holds a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $1,269.06, supported by a Q1 earnings beat (EPS $12.53 vs. $12.40) and 27% revenue growth, though competitors in the spot Bitcoin ETF market pose potential pressure.

R Squared Ltd bought a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,276 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $3,506,000. BlackRock comprises about 1.6% of R Squared Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,201,000. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in BlackRock during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $700,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its position in BlackRock by 6,347.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 42,234 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $49,239,000 after acquiring an additional 41,579 shares in the last quarter. Sienna Gestion boosted its position in BlackRock by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 22,859 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $24,299,000 after acquiring an additional 7,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $83,247,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total transaction of $58,920,245.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,971,514.62. This trade represents a 51.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 2,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,083.05, for a total transaction of $2,166,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 61,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,127,439. The trade was a 3.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 64,272 shares of company stock worth $69,823,426. Insiders own 1.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on BLK. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,235.00 to $1,270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on BlackRock from $1,269.00 to $1,128.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,269.06.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst pieces highlight BlackRock as an attractive dividend stock and point to durable fee-generating cash flows that support payouts and long-term shareholder returns. BlackRock (BLK) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Industry write-ups single out BlackRock’s recent Q1 beat as a catalyst that sets positive expectations for asset managers, reinforcing momentum in fee revenue and EPS. 3 Asset Management Stocks Set to Pull Off Earnings Beat in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Open interest on options tied to BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF has climbed and the ETF has attracted sizable inflows, supporting fee growth and cross-selling opportunities across BlackRock’s ETF platform. Elevated crypto ETF activity is drawing investor attention to BLK’s product leadership. Open interest on BlackRock's bitcoin ETF options reaches new heights
• Positive Sentiment: Grupo Mexico agreed to merge its power unit with a BlackRock-backed company (Saavi), creating Mexico’s largest private power operator — a strategic win for BlackRock’s infrastructure exposure and potential fee/return generation in Latin America. Grupo Mexico to Merge Power Unit With BlackRock-Backed Saavi
• Positive Sentiment: Product/ETF expansion — BlackRock launched region-specific active equity strategies and its dividend-focused ETFs continue to attract income-seeking flows, which can bolster AUM and recurring fees. 3 High-Yield BlackRock Dividend ETFs for Passive Income
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed a new stake in Archer Aviation (ACHR); portfolio moves into early-stage or stressed names can reflect active allocation strategy but also carry idiosyncratic risk and won’t meaningfully change BLK’s core fee profile. ACHR stock gains institutional muscle: BlackRock reveals 6.9% stake
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure in the spot Bitcoin ETF market — analysts flag Morgan Stanley’s MSBT as a credible challenger that could pressure market share and fee dynamics over time if inflows reallocate. Bitcoin ETF: Three Reasons Morgan Stanley's MSBT Could Overtake BlackRock's IBIT BTC ETF

BlackRock Price Performance

BLK stock opened at $1,057.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,009.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,061.68. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $893.93 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.48. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.40 by $0.13. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.40% and a return on equity of 14.96%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 52.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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.