Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Sells 1,359 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. reduced its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 6.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 20,261 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,359 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $23,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Westerkirk Capital Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,877,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 7.9% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 23,167 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $24,308,000 after acquiring an additional 1,693 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,201,000. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 8.2% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 256,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $269,591,000 after purchasing an additional 19,404 shares during the period. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its stake in BlackRock by 29.3% in the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 6,748 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $7,867,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,351.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,314.71.

BlackRock Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE BLK opened at $1,139.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $176.79 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,076.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,106.51. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $773.74 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced 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 net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 15.14%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $11.93 earnings per share. BlackRock’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. This is a positive change from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.84%.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Larry Fink warned at Davos that AI could widen inequality but used the platform to push for shared benefits and tokenization — reinforcing BlackRock’s role as a market leader and steward of large institutional flows. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: ‘What Happens to Everyone Else’ If AI Fuels Inequality?
• Positive Sentiment: Fink told reporters he doesn’t see an AI bubble, signaling confidence in continued, sustainable AI investment — a bullish signal for BlackRock’s AI?oriented strategies and tech exposure. BlackRock’s Fink Not Worried About a Bubble Forming in AI
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock continues to push tokenization and blockchain as market plumbing (BUIDL money?market tokenization cited with >$2B locked) — accelerates a potential new AUM/fees channel if adoption broadens. World Economic Forum: BlackRock’s CEO Calls for Tokenization and Blockchain Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: On?chain activity tied to BlackRock moved ~ $430M of BTC/ETH to Coinbase Prime — indicative of institutional custody/capital flows that support BlackRock’s crypto product ecosystem. BlackRock-linked wallets move over $430 million in bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime
• Positive Sentiment: Rick Rieder’s name gaining traction as a potential Fed chair candidate raised market attention to BlackRock’s policy influence — could be seen as a governance/relationship positive for the firm. Rieder odds rising for Fed chair after Trump calls BlackRock executive ‘very impressive’
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock adjusted disclosed stakes in several public companies (e.g., BAWAG) — shows active portfolio positioning but not an immediate AUM/earnings driver. BlackRock Adjusts Stake in BAWAG Group to 5.83% of Voting Rights
• Neutral Sentiment: Vice Chairman Philipp Hildebrand’s Davos remarks on geopolitics and AI are informative for strategy/positioning but are not an immediate financial catalyst. Davos: BlackRock’s Hildebrand on Geopolitics, Europe’s Role, AI
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows on the day (including BlackRock’s IBIT) — a near?term headwind to crypto?AUM and fee revenue. Bitcoin ETFs Log Off $488.38M as GBTC by Grayscale Takes the Lead
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Martin Small disclosed a sale of 27,047 shares (~$31.7M) — insider selling can trigger short?term concern among some investors even if routine. SEC Form 4 — Martin Small sale

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In related news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,363,724.98. This represents a 71.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

BlackRock Profile

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.