BlackRock $BLK Shares Acquired by Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. raised its BlackRock stake by 2.8% to 77,839 shares (about 0.05% of BLK), valued at roughly $90.75 million, making it the firm's 23rd-largest holding.
• BlackRock beat quarterly expectations, reporting $13.16 EPS vs. $12.55 expected and revenue of $7.01 billion (up 23.4% year-over-year), with analysts projecting full-year EPS of 47.41.
• Dividend increased: BlackRock raised its quarterly payout to $5.73 from $5.21 (ex-dividend March 6), equal to a $22.92 annualized dividend and about a 2.5% yield.

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,839 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the period. BlackRock makes up 1.5% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of BlackRock worth $90,750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BLK. Westerkirk Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,877,000. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in BlackRock during the third quarter worth $6,201,000. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the third quarter valued at $700,000. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 8.2% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 256,937 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $269,591,000 after acquiring an additional 19,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in BlackRock by 6,347.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 42,234 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $49,239,000 after purchasing an additional 41,579 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE BLK opened at $922.79 on Friday. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $773.74 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market cap of $143.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $1,075.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,092.52.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $6.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $11.93 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BLK. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upgraded shares of BlackRock from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $1,280.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, CICC Research lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,308.89.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, Director Stephen Cohen sold 225 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,069.56, for a total value of $240,651.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,054,779.16. This represents a 3.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total transaction of $5,738,776.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 46,185 shares in the company, valued at $50,074,700.70. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 in the last ninety days. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about 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

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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