BNP Paribas Lowers Stock Position in BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• BNP Paribas reduced its stake in BlackRock by 15.6% in Q3, selling 1,140 shares and leaving it with 6,178 shares valued at about $7.24 million.
• BlackRock beat expectations for the quarter with $13.16 EPS (vs. $12.55 expected) and $7.01 billion revenue (up 23.4% YoY), and the stock carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $1,308.89 price target.
• Dividend hike and insider selling: BlackRock raised its quarterly dividend to $5.73 (annualized $22.92, ~2.5% yield), while insiders sold roughly 111,319 shares last quarter valued at about $124 million, including sizable director and CFO sales.

BNP Paribas decreased its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,178 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 1,140 shares during the period. BNP Paribas' holdings in BlackRock were worth $7,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of BLK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,615,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its position in BlackRock by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth $259,000. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 28.0% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 64 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 777 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Price Performance

BlackRock stock 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 company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,075.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,092.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48.

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

BlackRock Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore lowered their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,235.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group raised 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, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BlackRock from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,308.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total transaction of $22,500,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,630,750. This represents a 24.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total value of $31,675,823.58. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,363,724.98. The trade was a 71.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock valued at $123,999,249. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

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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