BlackRock $BLK Shares Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Key Points

• Cerity Partners LLC increased its BlackRock stake by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 8,343 additional shares to bring its total holdings to 147,415 shares worth about $157.8 million.
• BlackRock reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $12.53 beating estimates and revenue of $6.70 billion topping expectations, while revenue rose 27% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, payable June 23, implying an annualized dividend of $22.92 and a yield of 2.3%.

Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,415 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 8,343 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.10% of BlackRock worth $157,786,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in BlackRock by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 920,578 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $985,331,000 after purchasing an additional 7,457 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its stake 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 worth $49,239,000 after purchasing an additional 41,579 shares during the period. Sienna Gestion boosted its stake in BlackRock by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 22,859 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $24,299,000 after purchasing an additional 7,773 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its stake in BlackRock by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 251,856 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $269,572,000 after purchasing an additional 24,196 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in BlackRock by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 360,995 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $420,873,000 after purchasing an additional 29,449 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of BLK opened at $993.89 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,034.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,051.38. The company has a quick ratio of 4.09, a current ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $154.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $917.39 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $12.40 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.56 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.40% and a return on equity of 14.74%. The business's revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.64 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 52.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.53%.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several BlackRock-managed closed-end funds announced monthly dividend declarations, including income, equity, sector, and technology funds. While these payouts are routine, they reinforce BlackRock’s broad product lineup and income-generating franchise. BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust declares $0.0839 dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore lowered its price target on BlackRock to $1,140 from $1,220, but kept an Outperform rating, implying the firm still sees upside from current levels. Evercore adjusts price target on BlackRock
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock was mentioned in coverage about the DTCC tokenization push alongside major financial firms, highlighting its role in market infrastructure and digital asset initiatives, but this is more strategic context than a near-term earnings driver. Ripple Prime Joins DTCC’s Tokenization Push Alongside BlackRock and JPMorgan
• Negative Sentiment: Cointelegraph reported that spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $1.7 billion in weekly outflows, with BlackRock’s IBIT accounting for most of the redemptions. That could weigh on sentiment around BlackRock’s rapidly growing ETF business if outflows continue. Spot Bitcoin ETFs bleed $1.7B as outflow streak hits four weeks

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,368.00 to $1,393.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BlackRock from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,269.00 to $1,128.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,264.61.

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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