BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lessened its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 9.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 198,456 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 21,502 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.13% of BlackRock worth $187,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 534 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in BlackRock by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 257 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC grew its holdings in BlackRock by 2.8% in the first quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 20.4% during the first quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 65 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 399 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $409,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,214.00 to $1,224.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,247.00 to $1,224.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of BlackRock to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,151.21.

BlackRock Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of BlackRock stock traded down $1.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1,118.69. The stock had a trading volume of 331,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 796,531. The company has a quick ratio of 4.34, a current ratio of 4.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $173.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,022.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $975.06. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $773.74 and a 12-month high of $1,125.76.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $12.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.41 by $1.64. The firm had revenue of $5.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.40 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 29.68% and a return on equity of 15.83%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $10.36 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be issued a dividend of $5.21 per share. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.39%.

About BlackRock

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.