Assetmark Inc. Trims Holdings in Blackstone Inc. $BX

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. trimmed its stake in Blackstone by 13.4% in Q4, selling 10,259 shares and ending the period with 66,478 shares valued at about $10.25 million.
• Large insider sales occurred recently: Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp LLC sold 7,477,504 shares (a 99.66% reduction) for roughly $26.25 million, and Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares for about $15.96 million.
• Analysts are split (11 Buys, 11 Holds) with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.45, amid recent divergent target moves from firms like Goldman Sachs (cut to $118) and JPMorgan (raised to $142).

Assetmark Inc. trimmed its position in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX - Free Report) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,478 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 10,259 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in Blackstone were worth $10,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of BX. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Blackstone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Blackstone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 7,477,504 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.51, for a total value of $26,246,039.04. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,832 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,670.32. This trade represents a 99.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total value of $15,961,420.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $158.00 to $118.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Blackstone from $126.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $161.00 to $143.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $122.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $158.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Blackstone currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.45.

Blackstone Price Performance

Shares of BX opened at $129.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Blackstone Inc. has a one year low of $101.73 and a one year high of $190.09. The stock's fifty day moving average is $117.14 and its 200-day moving average is $139.80.

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

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $1.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is an increase from Blackstone's previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. This represents a $5.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. Blackstone's dividend payout ratio is presently 153.61%.

Trending Headlines about Blackstone

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on BX to $142 (from $122) while keeping a neutral rating — the raise signals incremental confidence in Blackstone’s near-term earnings/cash‑flow outlook and provides upside to the stock. MarketScreener: JPMorgan adjusts price target on Blackstone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks/Yahoo) expect Blackstone to report growing earnings next week and highlight factors that increase the likelihood of an earnings beat — stronger fee-related revenue and realized gains from investments. Earnings momentum is a primary driver for BX’s near‑term move. Yahoo: Blackstone earnings expected to grow
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone shares rose after several major banks and asset managers reported better-than-expected Q1 results, which lifted sentiment across the alternatives/asset-management group and benefited BX as a large, diversified manager. Yahoo: Why Blackstone stock is trading up
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative valuation pieces (IX vs. BX) are drawing investor attention to relative value in the alternatives space; these analyses may shift some flows but don’t change Blackstone’s fundamentals immediately. Watch headlines comparing Orix (IX) and BX for possible rotation. Yahoo: IX or BX — Which is the better value?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary on peers (e.g., TPG) highlights sector volatility and valuation re-pricing; useful context but not an immediate negative for BX. Investors should focus on Blackstone’s own earnings and fee-related revenue. MarketBeat: TPG and alternatives industry review

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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