Prana Capital Management LP Buys 24,156 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• Prana Capital Management LP increased its stake in BlackRock by 12.1% in Q3, buying 24,156 shares to hold 224,104 shares—making BLK its largest holding (about 8.7% of Prana’s portfolio) and representing 0.14% of BlackRock valued at approximately $261.3 million.
• BlackRock beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $13.16 (vs. $12.55) and revenue of $7.01 billion (up 23.4% YoY), raised its quarterly dividend to $5.73 ($22.92 annual, 2.4% yield), and has seen analyst price-target upgrades giving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target around $1,308.89.
• Insiders have sold about 111,319 shares (~$124 million) in the past three months, and the stock faces potential headwinds from a Pomerantz investor probe and industry stress in private credit that could weigh on sentiment.

Prana Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,104 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 24,156 shares during the period. BlackRock comprises about 8.7% of Prana Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Prana Capital Management LP owned 0.14% of BlackRock worth $261,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in BlackRock by 450.0% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 866.7% during the third quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 29 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Up 3.0%

BlackRock stock opened at $971.73 on Wednesday. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $773.74 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. 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 firm has a market cap of $151.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.48. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $1,069.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,089.81.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $11.93 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from BlackRock's previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. BlackRock's payout ratio is 64.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BLK shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Freedom Capital raised shares of BlackRock from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised BlackRock from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $1,280.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,308.89.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock launched a new iShares Ethereum ETF (iShares Staked Ethereum Trust, ETHB) that offers staking rewards, expanding its digital‑asset product suite and tapping strong crypto ETF demand. This helps explain strength in the stock as fee and AUM growth opportunities rise. BlackRock launches new ethereum ETF packed with staking rewards
• Positive Sentiment: Bitcoin and ether ETFs have seen inflows and price gains (bitcoin hit a six‑week high), a tailwind for BlackRock’s crypto ETF business and overall ETF AUM growth. Bitcoin touches a six-week high as investors pour into ETFs
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary notes BlackRock “outpaced the stock market” in recent sessions, reflecting sector leadership and positive sentiment following its earnings beat and robust revenue growth earlier this year. Why BlackRock (BLK) Outpaced the Stock Market Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical analysts say BLK has entered a “key buying zone” below $1,000 — relevant to traders and short‑term flows but not a fundamental driver. BlackRock (BLK) Enters Key Buying Zone below $1000
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/portfolio disclosures: BlackRock increased its stake in Rentokil Initial, a portfolio move that signals active equity positioning but has limited immediate impact on BLK’s shares. Rentokil Initial Discloses Increase in BlackRock Stake Above 12%
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of BlackRock investors — a legal probe that can create headline risk, potential litigation costs, and reputational pressure. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock, Inc. - BLK
• Negative Sentiment: Industry stress in private credit (coverage of a possible $10B investor exit wave and broader private‑credit scrutiny) poses a risk to asset managers with private‑credit platforms or exposure; that dynamic is pressuring sentiment toward firms in the space, including BlackRock. Wall Street Lunch: Private Credit Funds Face $10B Investor Exit Wave
• Negative Sentiment: Product critique: a Seeking Alpha piece argues BlackRock’s CMDY commodities fund has better alternatives, which could slow flows into that specific product and draws attention to competitive pressures in ETF launches. CMDY: Commodities Fund From BlackRock, Better Alternatives Exist

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, Director Stephen Cohen sold 2,179 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,073.87, for a total transaction of $2,339,962.73. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,543 shares in the company, valued at $7,026,331.41. The trade was a 24.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total value of $22,500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 61,894 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,630,750. The trade was a 24.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249. 1.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

BlackRock 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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