BlackRock $BLK Position Trimmed by Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ

Key Points

• Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ cut its BlackRock stake by 16.5% in the first quarter, selling 9,209 shares and leaving it with 46,677 shares worth about $44.9 million.
• BlackRock reported strong quarterly results, posting $12.53 EPS versus $12.40 expected and revenue of $6.70 billion, up 27% year over year. Analysts still see continued earnings growth, with expectations for 52.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, equal to a 2.4% annualized yield. Meanwhile, several analysts remain constructive on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,269.44.

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ decreased its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 16.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 46,677 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 9,209 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ's holdings in BlackRock were worth $44,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Shum Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Shum Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,183 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,336,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. First Bancorp Inc ME lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. First Bancorp Inc ME now owns 321 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Rather & Kittrell Inc. boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Rather & Kittrell Inc. now owns 430 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $461,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its stake in BlackRock by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 755 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in BlackRock by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 52 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Down 1.5%

BLK stock opened at $950.63 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,043.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,048.73. The company has a market cap of $147.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.42. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $917.39 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94. The company has a quick ratio of 4.09, a current ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 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 14.74%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.64 EPS. BlackRock's revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 52.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. BlackRock's payout ratio is currently 57.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BLK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Evercore decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,220.00 to $1,140.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 8th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,238.00 to $1,105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,235.00 to $1,270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,269.44.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total value of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 210,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $222,082,527.60. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total transaction of $35,613,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $242,168,583.80. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.92% of the company's stock.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock is being highlighted as a beneficiary of the next phase of the AI buildout, with analysts pointing to infrastructure, energy security, and power bottlenecks as major investment areas beyond chipmakers. BlackRock Flags Big AI Trade Beyond Nvidia, AMD, Micron
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s Aladdin platform is expanding its integration with Ethena’s tokenized dollar suite, reinforcing the company’s push into tokenization and institutional digital-asset infrastructure. BlackRock’s Aladdin Platform Expands Integration with Ethena’s Tokenized Dollar Suite
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) reportedly surpassed Fidelity in Bitcoin ETF assets, underscoring its leadership in the fast-growing ETF category. BlackRock’s IBIT Reportedly Surpasses Fidelity In Bitcoin ETF Assets
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is watching BlackRock’s upcoming quarterly report, with expectations for continued earnings growth but only at a modest pace, making the results a key near-term catalyst. Earnings Preview: What To Expect From BlackRock’s Report
• Negative Sentiment: Crypto sentiment is a drag, as Bitcoin ETFs are set for their worst month of outflows and IBIT investors are reportedly nursing steep losses, which could weigh on enthusiasm for BlackRock’s flagship crypto product. Bitcoin ETFs Set for Worst Month With $4 Billion in Outflows BlackRock IBIT investors are now nursing a 40% loss
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of a large Bitcoin transfer tied to ETF settlement activity also highlight weaker institutional demand in June, adding to concerns around IBIT flows. BlackRock Bitcoin Outflow Hits $446M in Coinbase Prime Transfer

About BlackRock

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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