BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) Stock Holdings Lifted by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 1,214.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,674 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 7,090 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s holdings in BlackRock were worth $6,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in BlackRock during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in BlackRock during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 208.3% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 37 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of BLK stock traded up $5.42 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $757.00. 632,284 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 621,898. BlackRock, Inc. has a 52-week low of $596.18 and a 52-week high of $845.00. The company has a current ratio of 3.48, a quick ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $798.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $763.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.37.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 12th. The asset manager reported $9.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.42 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.65 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 32.26% and a return on equity of 15.34%. BlackRock's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.93 EPS. Research analysts predict that BlackRock, Inc. will post 41.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $784.69, for a total transaction of $408,038.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,256,463.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other BlackRock news, insider Marc D. Comerchero sold 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $785.11, for a total value of $353,299.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 5,975 shares in the company, valued at $4,691,032.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $784.69, for a total transaction of $408,038.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,256,463.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 79,093 shares of company stock worth $64,108,533 in the last quarter. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an "outperform" rating and set a $930.00 price target (up previously from $918.00) on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,013.00 to $1,025.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $818.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. TD Cowen upgraded BlackRock from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $819.00 to $938.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $742.00 to $767.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $845.42.

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.

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