Sonoma Allocations LLC Makes New Investment in BlackRock $BLK

Sonoma Allocations LLC bought a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 606 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $709,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. grew its holdings in BlackRock by 200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in BlackRock by 107.1% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock and others see a big potential expansion in retail access to crypto, which supports future ETF/net?new?asset upside if Main Street demand grows. BlackRock predicts major shift in retail investors’ access to cryptocurrencies
• Positive Sentiment: Tokenization adoption: Jupiter launched JupUSD with reserves tied to BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund — a sign BlackRock-backed institutional assets are being used in on?chain products, which could broaden distribution and fees long term. Jupiter Exchange Launches JupUSD Stablecoin with BlackRock-Backed Reserves
• Positive Sentiment: Company clarification: BlackRock publicly reiterated it does not buy single?family homes after a Trump proposal sparked market confusion — the clarification reduces an ongoing reputational/regulatory overhang for the firm. EXCLUSIVE: BlackRock Says It Does Not Buy Single-Family Homes After Trump Proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: Governance/leadership attention: BlackRock’s Rick Rieder was asked about being on a short list for Fed Chair — raises headlines but uncertain impact on firm fundamentals; investors may watch for potential conflicts or time distractions if the story develops. BlackRock’s Rieder Reacts to Being Considered for Fed Chair
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock crypto leadership: senior ETF executives said it’s still “very early days” for Bitcoin/Ethereum adoption — tempered optimism that supports a measured, long?run view on crypto AUM. BlackRock ETF Chief Says ‘Still Very Early Days’ For Bitcoin, Ethereum
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor ownership update: BlackRock reduced its stake in Finland’s Orion below the 5% disclosure threshold — routine portfolio move, limited impact on BLK fundamentals. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Negative Sentiment: Large crypto flows/signals: multiple outlets reported BlackRock moved sizable BTC/ETH to Coinbase Prime (and some headlines framed it as “dumping” ~$276M BTC and ~$83M ETH), which can spook investors about crypto exposure and short?term ETF flows. BlackRock sends $276M in Bitcoin and $83M in Ethereum to Coinbase Prime
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/politics ripple: Trump’s housing proposal triggered market confusion and a selloff in some real?estate/asset?manager stocks (and headlines conflating BlackRock/Blackstone amplified volatility), pressuring sentiment toward BLK. Trump Targets Wall Street Homebuyers: Why BlackRock, Blackstone Are Feeling The Heat
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst tweak: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed BLK’s price target slightly (still an outperform rating) — a modest headwind for sentiment. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowers price target on BlackRock

BlackRock Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE BLK opened at $1,085.06 on Friday. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The company has a market capitalization of $168.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,067.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,101.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.78 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.BlackRock’s quarterly revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $11.46 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $5.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,160.00 to $1,265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,313.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Argus raised their price objective on BlackRock from $1,165.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold 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 $1,313.12.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total value of $13,980,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares in the company, valued at $8,394,113.20. The trade was a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.98% 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.