ARP Global Capital Ltd Makes New $9.63 Million Investment in BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• ARP Global Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) of 9,000 shares valued at approximately $9.63 million in Q4, representing about 2.9% of its portfolio and its 13th largest holding.
• Insiders have been net sellers: Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares and CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares, with insiders offloading 111,319 shares worth about $123.999 million over the past 90 days and now owning 1.98% of the company.
• BlackRock beat quarterly estimates (EPS $13.16 vs. $12.55; revenue $7.01B, up 23.4% YoY), raised its quarterly dividend to $5.73 (annual $22.92, yield 2.5%), and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $1,308.89 price target.

ARP Global Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 9,000 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $9,633,000. BlackRock accounts for about 2.9% of ARP Global Capital Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BLK. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its stake in BlackRock by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 817 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $857,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 0.5% during the third quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 1,794 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 0.6% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,444 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,683,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. PUREfi Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 2.0% in the third quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 460 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shum Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Shum Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,183 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of BlackRock from a "moderate buy" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen cut BlackRock from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of BlackRock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $1,313.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,308.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total transaction of $22,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 61,894 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,630,750. This represents a 24.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total value of $31,675,823.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. This trade represents a 71.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launch of iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) expands BlackRock’s crypto product lineup and produced a solid debut (~$15.5M day‑one volume), a positive revenue/flows catalyst if assets scale. BlackRock’s New Staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) Sees ‘Very, Very Solid’ $15.5 Million Debut, Says Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto market coverage notes whale ETH accumulation alongside the ETHB launch — bullish for BlackRock’s digital asset distribution and potential fee/flow growth. Ethereum (ETH) Sees Major Whale Buying as BlackRock Launches Staked ETF Product
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to BlackRock CIO calls (and related portfolio positioning) has helped lift some sector indices (clean energy) — indicative of the firm’s market influence and potential to drive ETF flows. Clean Energy Index Jumps 61% After BlackRock CIO's Contrarian Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosures show BlackRock holds ~10–11% capital/voting stakes in Qiagen — a standard large‑holder filing that is notable but not an immediate company revenue driver. BlackRock Reports 10.6% Capital and 11.8% Voting Stake in Qiagen
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced index/methodology changes to three CAD‑hedged iShares funds — routine product updates with limited near‑term impact on BLK’s consolidated results. BlackRock® Canada Announces Product Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Private‑credit stress: reporting that Morgan Stanley and BlackRock capped/limited withdrawals in some private‑credit vehicles has pressured asset managers and sparked concerns about redemptions, markdowns and fee revenue risk. This is a near‑term negative for BLK if private‑credit flows and valuations deteriorate. Exclusive: Morgan Stanley and BlackRock limit withdrawals—is private credit gating a crisis or market 'stabilizer'?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage highlights a BLK share pullback alongside weakness in private‑credit peers, signaling investor concern about the sector’s spillover to large asset managers. BlackRock Stock Slide As Private Credit Firms Tumble
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation alert: Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of BlackRock investors — potential legal/PR risk that could distract management and create uncertainty. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock, Inc. - BLK

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $922.79 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,075.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,092.85. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. The company has a market cap of $143.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $11.93 EPS. BlackRock's quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from BlackRock's previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock's payout ratio is presently 64.71%.

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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