SSA Swiss Advisors AG Makes New Investment in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK)

Key Points

• SSA Swiss Advisors AG invested approximately $3.06 million in BlackRock by acquiring 3,230 shares, making it the firm's 27th largest position.
• BlackRock reported better-than-expected earnings with an EPS of $12.05, surpassing the consensus estimate by $1.64, while achieving a revenue of $5.42 billion.
• Institutional ownership is high at 80.69%, indicating strong interest from large investors, while recent analyst ratings generally lean towards a "buy" status for the stock.

SSA Swiss Advisors AG purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 3,230 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $3,057,000. BlackRock makes up approximately 1.6% of SSA Swiss Advisors AG's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BLK. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 10,078 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $10,331,000 after purchasing an additional 6,137 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,232 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,228,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 145,012 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $148,656,000 after purchasing an additional 4,299 shares during the period. Finally, Gibson Capital LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 263 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BlackRock stock traded down $14.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,091.29. 672,794 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 646,030. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,038.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $980.77. The company has a quick ratio of 4.34, a current ratio of 4.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $169.07 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.42. BlackRock has a one year low of $773.74 and a one year high of $1,130.66.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $12.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.41 by $1.64. BlackRock had a net margin of 29.68% and a return on equity of 15.83%. The business had revenue of $5.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $10.36 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $5.21 per share. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. BlackRock's payout ratio is currently 50.39%.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, Director Rachel Lord sold 18,036 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,125.60, for a total transaction of $20,301,321.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,205 shares in the company, valued at $21,617,148. The trade was a 48.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 17,142 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,120.50, for a total transaction of $19,207,611.00. Following the sale, the director owned 61,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,763,964.50. This represents a 21.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $990.00 to $1,220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $980.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,180.00 to $1,170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, 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.