New England Research & Management Inc. Invests $1.20 Million in BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• New England Research & Management Inc. opened a new position of 1,125 shares in BlackRock valued at about $1.20 million, while institutional investors now own roughly 80.69% of the stock.
• CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares for approximately $31.7 million (a 71.93% reduction), and insiders have sold 111,319 shares worth about $124 million over the past 90 days, signaling potential near-term selling pressure.
• BlackRock beat quarterly expectations with $13.16 EPS (vs. $12.55) and $7.01 billion in revenue (up 23.4% y/y) and raised its quarterly dividend to $5.73 (annualized $22.92, yield ~2.4%).

New England Research & Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,125 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $1,204,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its holdings in BlackRock by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 817 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $857,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 0.5% in the third quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 1,794 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,092,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 0.6% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,444 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,683,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 2.0% in the third quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 460 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. increased its position in BlackRock by 1.1% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 938 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $984,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock-backed staked-ETH product and related ETF flows are drawing institutional interest, which can boost fee-bearing AUM and revenue over time. Ethereum (ETH) Price Analysis: Can $385M ETF Inflows Spark a Major Rally?
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced March cash distributions for many iShares ETFs — a sign of ongoing product cash flows and client engagement in Canada that supports predictable ETF income and retention. BlackRock® Canada Announces March Cash Distributions for the iShares® ETFs
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock CIO Rick Rieder publicly backed the Fed’s “patience” on rates and called recent energy-driven inflation spikes “episodic,” messaging that could calm investors and support risk assets (beneficial for asset managers’ flows). BlackRock's Rick Rieder says Fed 'patience' is right call despite $820 billion market rout, oil spike
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/ownership disclosure: BlackRock’s stake in Finnish drugmaker Orion dropped below 5% — a routine portfolio move that has limited direct impact on BLK but is a public holdings change. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Neutral Sentiment: World Economic Forum governance changes under discussion could consolidate influence among trustees, including BlackRock CEO Larry Fink — reputational/governance risk to monitor but uncertain financial impact. World Economic Forum explores trustee shake-up after scandals
• Neutral Sentiment: Larry Fink’s comments warning AI could worsen unemployment for new graduates reinforce BlackRock’s leadership role in policy debates—important for reputation but not an immediate earnings driver. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink warns AI is creating a ‘crisis’ for Gen Z workers
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz launched an investor investigation into BlackRock, which raises potential litigation risk and can increase short-term share-price pressure due to uncertainty and legal costs. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock, Inc. - BLK

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. The trade was a 71.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.91, for a total transaction of $417,690.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,618,174.85. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock valued at $123,999,249. 1.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on BLK shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,351.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 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. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded BlackRock from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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 issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,308.89.

BlackRock Stock Performance

NYSE BLK opened at $958.10 on Friday. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $773.74 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,062.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,086.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The stock has a market cap of $149.03 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.48.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.78% and a net margin of 22.93%.The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $11.93 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. This is a boost from BlackRock's previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.71%.

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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