Brown Advisory Inc. Buys 2,094 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• Brown Advisory Inc. increased its BlackRock stake by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 2,094 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 22,000 shares worth about $23.55 million.
• BlackRock reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $12.53 versus estimates of $12.40 and revenue of $6.70 billion, up 27% from a year earlier.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share to be paid on June 23, while analysts currently maintain a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $1,264.61.

Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,000 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 2,094 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in BlackRock were worth $23,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,615,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth approximately $259,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth approximately $548,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth approximately $98,000. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BLK opened at $1,042.08 on Tuesday. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $917.39 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market cap of $161.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,041.35 and a 200-day moving average of $1,051.69.

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

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.53%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total value of $35,613,645.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total value of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 210,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $222,082,527.60. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BLK shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on BlackRock from $1,238.00 to $1,105.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,368.00 to $1,393.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,264.61.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s Rick Rieder said the recent rally in U.S. equities could accelerate as investors shift cash out of the roughly $8 trillion to $9 trillion parked in money market funds, which would support broader asset prices and potentially BlackRock’s fee-generating AUM. BlackRock’s Rieder Sees ‘Explosive’ Rally as Cash Gets Unlocked
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage highlighted BlackRock’s income-oriented ETFs, reinforcing the company’s leadership in fee-collecting investment products and ongoing investor demand for yield. 3 High-Yield BlackRock ETFs Paying 6%+ in Passive Income
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock commentary on AI framed the theme as a multi-year investment cycle rather than a short-term trade, which may support long-duration capital allocation into the firm’s strategies. The AI Trade Is Short-Term. The AI Investment Is a Decade: BlackRock’s Three-Phase Framework
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced product changes and a risk-rating update for five iShares ETFs, mainly reflecting index methodology changes tied to Research Affiliates’ withdrawal of input data. This appears operational rather than financially material. BlackRock Canada Announces Product Changes and Risk Rating Update
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock also received another look for NYC’s large pension mandate, but there was no final decision reported yet. BlackRock gets another shot at NYC's massive pension mandate (updated)
• Negative Sentiment: Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked BlackRock and other infrastructure investors for details on data center deals, adding potential regulatory and political scrutiny around private-markets activity. Elizabeth Warren Demands Answers From BlackRock, Blackstone, KKR Over Data Center Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Separate coverage noted Vanguard gaining while BlackRock shed assets in ETF league tables, which could signal competitive pressure in the asset-management business. ETF League Tables: Vanguard Gains, BlackRock Sheds Assets

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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