O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Has $34.53 Million Holdings in BlackRock $BLK

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 32,262 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 1,694 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $34,531,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 920,578 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $985,331,000 after buying an additional 7,457 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 6,347.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 42,234 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $49,239,000 after buying an additional 41,579 shares during the last quarter. Sienna Gestion lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 22,859 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $24,299,000 after buying an additional 7,773 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 251,856 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $269,572,000 after buying an additional 24,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 360,995 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $420,873,000 after purchasing an additional 29,449 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) reported its first daily inflow in 13 days, bringing in $47.66 million and ending a recent streak of outflows. That suggests at least some stabilization in one of BlackRock’s most-watched ETF products. BlackRock Records First Bitcoin ETF Inflow in 13 Days
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock executives sounded constructive on the macro backdrop, with commentary on a solid U.S. jobs report, AI-driven market trends, and the Fed’s likely patience on rates. Softer rate-hike expectations can support risk assets and asset-manager sentiment. BlackRock’s Rieder Talks Jobs Report, AI and Markets
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed that its combined stake in Orion Corporation rose above 5%, highlighting ongoing portfolio activity and continued influence as a major global shareholder. Orion Corporation Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Neutral Sentiment: One analyst write-up said BlackRock’s fair value estimate was trimmed only slightly, pointing to mixed Street views rather than a major shift in fundamentals. Why The Narrative Around BlackRock (BLK) Is Shifting After Mixed Analyst Target Resets
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s portfolio manager Jeffrey Rosenberg said the Fed is not in a hurry to raise rates, reinforcing the view that policy may remain supportive for markets, though the comment itself is not company-specific. Fed Is In No Hurry To Raise Rates, BlackRock’s Rosenberg Says
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock was also included in a sector-wide selloff tied to redemption concerns around Cliffwater’s Corporate Lending Fund, which raised fresh worries about liquidity in alternative credit products. Alternative Managers Shares Slip as Cliffwater Redemption Fears Mount
• Negative Sentiment: Broader crypto headlines remain a headwind: Bitcoin ETFs saw large outflows over the prior 13 days, and BlackRock’s IBIT was cited as a major contributor to the pressure, which can weigh on sentiment toward BLK’s ETF growth story. Bitcoin ETFs Lose $4.4B as Outflows Hit 13-Day Record Run

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on BLK. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings raised BlackRock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,220.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,269.06.

BlackRock Price Performance

BlackRock stock opened at $996.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.09. The firm has a market cap of $154.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,033.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,051.55. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $917.39 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.40 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.56 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 24.40%.The business’s revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.64 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 52.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is 57.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total transaction of $35,613,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $242,168,583.80. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total value of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 210,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $222,082,527.60. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

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.