Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Sells 1,663 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ decreased its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 5.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 27,734 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,663 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $32,334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BLK. CNB Bank boosted its stake in BlackRock by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 103 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Magellan Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 14.3% in the second quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 72 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.1% during the second quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 817 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $857,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division grew its stake in BlackRock by 0.5% during the third quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 1,794 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,092,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in BlackRock by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 1,444 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,683,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total transaction of $5,738,776.46. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,074,700.70. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total value of $22,500,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,630,750. The trade was a 24.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 109,967 shares of company stock worth $122,487,380 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,313.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,351.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,311.11.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares staked Ether ETF launch (low 0.25% fee) broadens its crypto product lineup and should help attract AUM and fee revenue from institutional and retail investors. Ether bulls target $2.5K as staking ETF launch, RWA market cap reflect growth
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional demand shows up in filings: Harvard’s endowment added exposure to BlackRock’s Ether ETF while trimming Bitcoin ETF holdings — a sign larger allocators are rotating into BLK’s crypto products. Harvard endowment reduces stake in Bitcoin ETF, adds Ether exposure
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s amended S?1 shows its Ethereum ETF will capture roughly 18% of staking rewards — a new revenue stream from crypto products that could boost ETF economics. BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF Will Take 18% Of Staking Rewards—Here’s The Breakdown
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s growing activity in crypto infrastructure — e.g., acquiring a stake in Bitmine — signals a push into upstream crypto assets and services that can expand product capability and market share. BlackRock Acquires Bitmine Stake: A Stronger Institutional Crypto Push
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s large accumulation of Nebius Group shares highlights active portfolio deployment into AI infrastructure — a sign BLK’s asset-management strategies are capturing thematic growth opportunities that could support future performance. Whale Watching: BlackRock’s Massive Bet on Nebius Group (BLK)
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced February cash distributions for many iShares ETFs — routine fund operations that support investor income expectations but are unlikely to move BLK materially. BlackRock® Canada Announces February Cash Distributions for the iShares® ETFs
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth in tokenized real?world assets and institutional participation (with firms like BlackRock involved) is a market tailwind that could expand product opportunities over time. Tokenized Real-World Assets See 13.5% Growth Amid Crypto Market Slump
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms and notice services are flagging class actions related to BlackRock TCP Capital (TCPC) — this concerns the TCPC vehicle (different ticker) and can create headline noise but does not directly implicate BLK’s corporate balance sheet. Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Reminds Investors That Class Action Lawsuits Have Been Filed Against BlackRock TCP and Plug Power
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law (and similar firms) has opened an investigation into potential breaches of fiduciary duty by BlackRock’s directors/officers — this could weigh on sentiment if it develops into a formal suit or regulatory inquiry. BlackRock Investor News: Rosen Law Firm Announces Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by a BlackRock director was reported — such disclosures can create short?term selling pressure or raise governance questions for some investors. Insider Selling: BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Director Sells $2,339,962.73 in Stock

BlackRock Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of BLK stock opened at $1,074.80 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $166.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.47. BlackRock has a 1 year low of $773.74 and a 1 year high of $1,219.94. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,093.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,105.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 3.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.14% and a net margin of 22.93%.The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $11.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $5.73 dividend. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is currently 58.84%.

About BlackRock

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.