Short Interest in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) Grows By 27.8%

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 27.8% to 16,632,380 shares as of Feb. 27, equal to 2.3% of shares short and a days-to-cover of about 1.6 based on average daily volume.
• Insider activity was mixed: major shareholder Holdings IV GP Mana Blackstone bought 1,146,789 shares (~$30.0M, a 7.37% increase in their stake) while Tactical Opportunity Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares (~$15.96M).
• Dividend raised to $1.49 quarterly (annualized $5.96) for a 5.6% yield, but the payout ratio is a high 153.6%, which could raise sustainability concerns.

Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 16,632,380 shares, an increase of 27.8% from the February 12th total of 13,014,635 shares. Currently, 2.3% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,432,101 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,432,101 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 2.3% of the company's shares are short sold.

More Blackstone News

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sector rebound lifts BX — Blackstone rose as private‑credit stocks broadly recovered, helping shares rebound after recent weakness in the group. Why Blackstone (BX) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Record AUM supports fee growth — Blackstone’s assets under management hit about $1.27 trillion, boosting fee‑bearing capital and underpinning longer‑term earnings potential despite private‑credit headline risk. Will Blackstone's Rising AUM Balance Aid Long-Term Earnings Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term performance track record — Analysis showing strong 10‑year returns highlights BX’s compounding of fee and carry businesses, supporting investor confidence over multi‑year horizons. $100 Invested In Blackstone 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth This Much Today
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/portfolio strategy talks — Reports that Anthropic has discussed a joint venture to embed AI across PE portfolios could lower software spend and boost margins, but implications and timing are uncertain. Private equity is about to eat its own software portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier private‑credit scare pushed shares down — A prior drop was linked to investor concern about private‑credit stability after a major bank announcement, feeding volatility in BX and peers. Why Blackstone (BX) Stock Is Trading Lower Today
• Negative Sentiment: Recent 52‑week low highlights downside sensitivity — Coverage noting BX at a 52‑week low underscores how quickly sentiment can swing on private‑credit headlines and macro concerns. Blackstone Stock Falls To 52-Week Low: Here's Why

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone

In other Blackstone news, major shareholder Holdings Iv Gp Mana Blackstone purchased 1,146,789 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.16 per share, for a total transaction of $30,000,000.24. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 16,716,249 shares of the company's stock, valued at $437,297,073.84. This represents a 7.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Tactical Opportunit Blackstone sold 1,596,142 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.00, for a total transaction of $15,961,420.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blackstone

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Blackstone by 34.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,917 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 2,035 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,076 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its position in shares of Blackstone by 14.7% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 13,528 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,024,000 after buying an additional 1,729 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Blackstone by 35.2% in the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 86,341 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $12,915,000 after acquiring an additional 22,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its stake in Blackstone by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 178,950 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $26,767,000 after acquiring an additional 11,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Blackstone in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their target price on Blackstone from $165.00 to $158.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America lowered their price target on Blackstone from $199.00 to $189.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Blackstone in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Blackstone in a report on Friday, January 30th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Blackstone presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.86.

Blackstone Stock Up 4.4%

NYSE BX traded up $4.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $106.62. The company had a trading volume of 11,069,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,937,868. The firm's 50 day moving average is $134.85 and its 200 day moving average is $150.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Blackstone has a fifty-two week low of $101.73 and a fifty-two week high of $190.09. The company has a market capitalization of $79.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.80.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. Blackstone had a return on equity of 22.17% and a net margin of 20.89%.The company's revenue was up 41.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Blackstone will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $1.49 per share. This is an increase from Blackstone's previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. This represents a $5.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Blackstone's payout ratio is 153.61%.

About Blackstone

Blackstone Inc NYSE: BX is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone's business is organized around several principal investment platforms.

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