Vest Financial LLC Purchases 41,933 Shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK)

Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 4,099.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,956 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 41,933 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in BlackRock were worth $40,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in BlackRock by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 28,711 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $29,432,000 after buying an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in BlackRock by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 12,480 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $12,793,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in BlackRock by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 65,396 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $67,038,000 after buying an additional 4,210 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,307,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 242.3% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 21,905 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $22,455,000 after buying an additional 15,505 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of BLK traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $988.81. 419,939 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 689,313. BlackRock, Inc. has a one year low of $752.30 and a one year high of $1,084.22. The firm has a market cap of $153.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.54, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 5.23 and a quick ratio of 5.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $925.28 and a 200-day moving average of $972.77.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The asset manager reported $11.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.84 by $0.46. BlackRock had a net margin of 31.21% and a return on equity of 16.32%. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.81 EPS. BlackRock's revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that BlackRock, Inc. will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $5.21 dividend. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on BLK shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,124.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,046.00 to $988.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,251.00 to $1,032.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,045.00 to $1,010.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of BlackRock to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,082.46.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $912.50, for a total transaction of $9,125,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 66,034 shares in the company, valued at $60,256,025. This represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About BlackRock

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.