Park National Corp OH Decreases Holdings in BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• Park National Corp OH trimmed its stake in BlackRock by 6.2% in Q4, holding 27,169 shares worth about $29.08 million, while institutional investors still own roughly 80.7% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive: the consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $1,308.89 and several banks (e.g., Barclays, Deutsche Bank) recently raising their targets.
• BlackRock reported strong results—Q4 EPS of $13.16 beat estimates and revenue rose 23.4% to $7.01 billion—and raised its quarterly dividend to $5.73, although investor risks include a Pomerantz investigation and recent insider sales totaling about $124 million.

Park National Corp OH reduced its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,169 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 1,785 shares during the quarter. Park National Corp OH's holdings in BlackRock were worth $29,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter valued at about $259,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 21.3% during the second quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,725 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $4,958,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on BLK. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BlackRock from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,308.89.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust is driving sizable institutional inflows and reshaping demand for BTC exposure, supporting AUM growth and fee revenue. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Is Quietly Reshaping Institutional Demand for BTC
• Positive Sentiment: ETF inflows into Ethereum products — and attention on BlackRock’s staked‑ETH fund — are attracting institutional interest that could boost iShares crypto fee income and platform relevance. Ethereum (ETH) Price Analysis: Can $385M ETF Inflows Spark a Major Rally?
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced March cash distributions for numerous iShares ETFs, signaling ongoing fund activity and predictable cash flows for income‑focused investors. BlackRock® Canada Announces March Cash Distributions for the iShares® ETFs
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting several high‑yield iShares ETFs positions BlackRock as a go‑to provider for retirement and income investors, supporting long‑term AUM retention. 3 High-Yield BlackRock ETFs Perfect For Retirement
• Neutral Sentiment: Barron’s notes private credit is out of favor short‑term but remains recommended for long‑term retirement allocations — a nuanced take that may temper short‑term trading volatility but supports long‑run AUM prospects. Private Credit: Out of Favor Today, in 401(k)s Tomorrow
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock commentary on bond market hedging and where to find protection positions the firm as a market thought leader; that may support ETF flows but is not an immediate earnings driver. S&P 500 Sinks, TLT Cracks: The Hedge Isn't Hedging Anymore — Where's The New Safe Haven?
• Neutral Sentiment: Comments from CEO Larry Fink about AI’s labor impact and broader public discussion (including mentions by other public figures) raise macro staffing and policy themes but are not a near‑term earnings swing. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink warns AI could leave the class of 2026 facing the highest unemployment in years—even without a recession
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP has opened an investor investigation into BlackRock, which introduces litigation risk and potential headline volatility while the inquiry proceeds. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock, Inc. - BLK
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage warning of growing private‑credit risks — flagged by major institutions including BlackRock — could pressure related fee streams and raise provisioning or due‑diligence costs. The Growing Risk in Private Credit: Why BlackRock and JPMorgan Are Raising Alarms

BlackRock Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of BLK opened at $971.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $151.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $773.74 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1,064.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,088.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

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

BlackRock Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total value of $31,675,823.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. This represents a 71.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total transaction of $5,738,776.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,185 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,074,700.70. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock valued at $123,999,249. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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