The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Cuts Stock Holdings in BlackRock $BLK

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its BlackRock stake by 6.3% in the first quarter, selling 5,370 shares and retaining 80,113 shares valued at approximately $77 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.69% of BlackRock.
• BlackRock reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $13.91 per share and revenue of $7.08 billion; revenue increased 30.6% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $5.73, equivalent to an annualized $22.92 payout and a 2.1% yield. Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with an average “Buy” rating and a $1,304.29 price target.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,113 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 5,370 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.05% of BlackRock worth $77,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in BlackRock by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 73,830 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $71,003,000 after buying an additional 8,988 shares in the last quarter. Family Manage LLC lifted its stake in BlackRock by 32.5% during the 1st quarter. Family Manage LLC now owns 277 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in BlackRock by 270.2% during the 1st quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,146,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares during the period. Blue Chip Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 27,197 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $26,155,000 after acquiring an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Everest Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 731 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $703,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK opened at $1,082.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 4.09, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $167.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.43. The company's 50 day moving average is $1,030.89 and its 200 day moving average is $1,041.27. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $917.39 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.73 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The firm's revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $12.05 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 55.63 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.78%.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major AI infrastructure venture expands BlackRock’s growth profile. BlackRock-managed funds will own an 80% stake in a roughly $14 billion, 1-gigawatt data-center campus in El Paso, Texas, while Meta retains 20% and leases the facility. BlackRock is contributing approximately $4.9 billion in cash and arranged about $12.3 billion to $12.5 billion of project debt. The deal strengthens BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and HPS platforms and could generate long-duration management, financing and infrastructure-related fees. Reuters Meta BlackRock data center article
• Positive Sentiment: Alternative assets continue to broaden beyond traditional funds. Influence Media Partners agreed to acquire substantially all of Anthem Entertainment’s music publishing, film and television assets, and master recordings for more than $600 million in collaboration with funds and accounts managed by BlackRock affiliates. The transaction highlights BlackRock’s push into intellectual-property and private-market investments. Influence Media Anthem acquisition article
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory filings disclosed BlackRock’s 11.61% capital interest and 13.04% voting stake in QIAGEN, along with a 5.3% position in IonQ and indirect holdings in Stora Enso. These disclosures may attract attention but generally reflect portfolio or client-account activity rather than a direct change to BlackRock’s earnings outlook. BlackRock QIAGEN stake article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about valuation and deal-related risks. BlackRock’s shares appear fully valued after strong multiyear gains and record inflows. The Meta transaction also exposes the company to substantial project-financing, data-center obsolescence and residual-value risks, even though much of the debt sits at the venture level. Broader anxiety over aggressive AI spending and weaker technology stocks may be weighing on sentiment toward the partnership.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,389.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,145.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, BlackRock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $1,304.29.

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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