BlackRock $BLK Stock Position Increased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC raised its BlackRock stake by 21% to 152,461 shares (about 0.10% of the company), valued at roughly $177.75 million at the end of the quarter.
• BlackRock shares fell about 7.9% after the firm capped withdrawals from a $26 billion private‑credit vehicle amid heavy redemption requests, with reports of a $25 million loan write‑off and roughly $1.2 billion in redemptions raising liquidity and valuation concerns in private credit.
• Despite the market shock, BlackRock posted an earnings beat (EPS $13.16 vs. $12.55 est.) with revenue up 23.4% to $7.01 billion and announced a higher quarterly dividend of $5.73 (annualized $22.92, ~2.4% yield).

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 152,461 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 26,453 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.10% of BlackRock worth $177,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BLK. Westerkirk Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the second quarter worth approximately $2,877,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 23,167 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $24,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,693 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the third quarter worth about $6,201,000. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in BlackRock in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $700,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 19,404 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Down 7.9%

Shares of BLK stock opened at $953.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $148.33 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $773.74 and a 12 month high of $1,219.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,089.21 and a 200-day moving average of $1,099.20. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $11.93 EPS. The business's revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from BlackRock's previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on BLK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America upped their target price on BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $1,313.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Evercore dropped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,235.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,308.89.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock is expanding its iShares iBonds ETF franchise — nine new defined‑maturity bond ETFs across Treasuries, TIPS, corporates, high yield and muni markets — which supports fee growth and ETF distribution strength. BlackRock Announces Plans to Expand iBonds ETF Franchise
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock launched the iShares Broad USD Floating Rate Loan ETF (USLN), opening index‑based access to the $1.4T leveraged‑loan market — a distribution/growth opportunity for its ETF business. BlackRock Launches USLN ETF
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional adoption of BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth continues: Intesa Sanpaolo will extend use of Aladdin Wealth for its international banks unit, supporting recurring technology revenue. Intesa Sanpaolo to adopt BlackRock's Aladdin Wealth
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosure: BlackRock disclosed its stake in Finland’s Orion Corp lifted above 5%, a routine holdings disclosure with little immediate impact on BLK’s fundamentals. Orion Corporation disclosure
• Negative Sentiment: Market shock: BlackRock capped withdrawals from a $26B private‑credit vehicle after redemption requests exceeded the periodic limit, prompting a broad selloff in BLK and peers as investors reassess liquidity risk in private credit. Forbes: BlackRock Shares Tumble After Limits
• Negative Sentiment: Credit stress: Reporting says BlackRock took a $25M loan write‑off and faced roughly $1.2B in redemption requests tied to private credit, underscoring valuation and liquidity risks in opaque private loan portfolios. Blockonomi: Loan Write-Off & Redemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Contagion risk: The move put alternative asset managers (Blackstone, Apollo, KKR, Ares, Blue Owl) under scrutiny as investors test redemption mechanics across private‑credit and alternative strategies. Benzinga: Peers Under Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Evercore trimmed its price target modestly, reflecting near‑term caution after the private‑credit developments. Analyst downgrades/target cuts could add selling pressure if more follow. MarketScreener: Evercore Adjusts Price Target

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total transaction of $22,500,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,630,750. The trade was a 24.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total value of $58,920,245.10. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,478 shares in the company, valued at $55,971,514.62. The trade was a 51.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 111,319 shares of company stock valued at $123,999,249 over the last quarter. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

BlackRock 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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