Gouws Capital LLC Makes New $406,000 Investment in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK)

Key Points

• Gouws Capital LLC has acquired a new stake in BlackRock, purchasing 429 shares valued at approximately $406,000 during the first quarter.
• Insider transactions saw significant sales as Rachel Lord sold 18,036 shares worth over $20 million, resulting in a 48.43% decrease in her position.
• BlackRock announced a quarterly dividend of $5.21 per share, set to be paid on September 23rd, representing an annual yield of 1.9%.

Gouws Capital LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 429 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 76.5% during the first quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Fabrizio Freda sold 4,434 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,122.81, for a total transaction of $4,978,539.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,506 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,936,571.86. This represents a 55.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 17,142 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,120.50, for a total value of $19,207,611.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 61,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,763,964.50. The trade was a 21.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 66,494 shares of company stock valued at $74,694,573 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Trading Up 0.1%

BLK traded up $1.55 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1,161.58. 407,611 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 767,336. The firm's fifty day moving average is $1,064.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $988.28. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,171.89. The company has a market cap of $179.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 4.04, a quick ratio of 4.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $12.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.41 by $1.64. The company had revenue of $5.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.40 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 29.68%. BlackRock's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $10.36 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $5.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,180.00 to $1,170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,247.00 to $1,224.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BlackRock to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,018.00 to $1,093.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,151.21.

BlackRock Company Profile

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.