Aristotle Capital Management LLC Sells 320,055 Shares of Blackstone Inc. $BX

Key Points

• Aristotle Capital trimmed its stake in Blackstone by 5.3%, selling 320,055 shares and now holds 5,721,458 shares (about $977.5 million), making BX its 19th largest position.
• Strong quarterly results: Blackstone reported $1.75 EPS vs. $1.54 expected and revenue of $4.36 billion (up 41.4% YoY), with analysts forecasting ~5.87 EPS for the year.
• Dividend and scale: Blackstone raised its quarterly dividend to $1.49 (annualized $5.96, a 5.6% yield) while reporting record AUM of roughly $1.27 trillion, though the payout ratio stands high at 153.61%.

Aristotle Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX - Free Report) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,721,458 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 320,055 shares during the quarter. Blackstone comprises approximately 1.9% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Aristotle Capital Management LLC owned 0.77% of Blackstone worth $977,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Blackstone in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Blackstone in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.00% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Stock Performance

Shares of BX opened at $106.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Blackstone Inc. has a one year low of $101.73 and a one year high of $190.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $134.85 and a 200 day moving average of $150.44.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.21. Blackstone had a return on equity of 22.17% and a net margin of 20.89%.The company had revenue of $4.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Blackstone's revenue was up 41.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $1.49 per share. This represents a $5.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Blackstone's previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. Blackstone's payout ratio is presently 153.61%.

Key Headlines Impacting Blackstone

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sector rebound lifts BX — Blackstone rose as private‑credit stocks broadly recovered, helping shares rebound after recent weakness in the group. Why Blackstone (BX) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Record AUM supports fee growth — Blackstone’s assets under management hit about $1.27 trillion, boosting fee‑bearing capital and underpinning longer‑term earnings potential despite private‑credit headline risk. Will Blackstone's Rising AUM Balance Aid Long-Term Earnings Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term performance track record — Analysis showing strong 10‑year returns highlights BX’s compounding of fee and carry businesses, supporting investor confidence over multi‑year horizons. $100 Invested In Blackstone 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth This Much Today
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/portfolio strategy talks — Reports that Anthropic has discussed a joint venture to embed AI across PE portfolios could lower software spend and boost margins, but implications and timing are uncertain. Private equity is about to eat its own software portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier private‑credit scare pushed shares down — A prior drop was linked to investor concern about private‑credit stability after a major bank announcement, feeding volatility in BX and peers. Why Blackstone (BX) Stock Is Trading Lower Today
• Negative Sentiment: Recent 52‑week low highlights downside sensitivity — Coverage noting BX at a 52‑week low underscores how quickly sentiment can swing on private‑credit headlines and macro concerns. Blackstone Stock Falls To 52-Week Low: Here's Why

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on BX. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Blackstone in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Argus decreased their price target on Blackstone from $195.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Blackstone from $185.00 to $161.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Blackstone from $183.00 to $164.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore lowered their target price on shares of Blackstone from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Blackstone presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone

In related news, major shareholder Holdings Iv Gp Mana Blackstone purchased 1,146,789 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.16 per share, for a total transaction of $30,000,000.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,716,249 shares in the company, valued at $437,297,073.84. This represents a 7.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total value of $15,961,420.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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