BlackRock $BLK Stock Position Lessened by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,220 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,397 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $50,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Accuvest Global Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 7.2% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,852 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in BlackRock by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,188 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $9,546,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 15,850 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $18,479,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the period. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.3% in the third quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 24,828 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,946,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock is expanding its iShares iBonds ETF franchise — nine new defined?maturity bond ETFs across Treasuries, TIPS, corporates, high yield and muni markets — which supports fee growth and ETF distribution strength. BlackRock Announces Plans to Expand iBonds ETF Franchise
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock launched the iShares Broad USD Floating Rate Loan ETF (USLN), opening index?based access to the $1.4T leveraged?loan market — a distribution/growth opportunity for its ETF business. BlackRock Launches USLN ETF
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional adoption of BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth continues: Intesa Sanpaolo will extend use of Aladdin Wealth for its international banks unit, supporting recurring technology revenue. Intesa Sanpaolo to adopt BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosure: BlackRock disclosed its stake in Finland’s Orion Corp lifted above 5%, a routine holdings disclosure with little immediate impact on BLK’s fundamentals. Orion Corporation disclosure
• Negative Sentiment: Market shock: BlackRock capped withdrawals from a $26B private?credit vehicle after redemption requests exceeded the periodic limit, prompting a broad selloff in BLK and peers as investors reassess liquidity risk in private credit. Forbes: BlackRock Shares Tumble After Limits
• Negative Sentiment: Credit stress: Reporting says BlackRock took a $25M loan write?off and faced roughly $1.2B in redemption requests tied to private credit, underscoring valuation and liquidity risks in opaque private loan portfolios. Blockonomi: Loan Write-Off & Redemptions
• Negative Sentiment: Contagion risk: The move put alternative asset managers (Blackstone, Apollo, KKR, Ares, Blue Owl) under scrutiny as investors test redemption mechanics across private?credit and alternative strategies. Benzinga: Peers Under Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Evercore trimmed its price target modestly, reflecting near?term caution after the private?credit developments. Analyst downgrades/target cuts could add selling pressure if more follow. MarketScreener: Evercore Adjusts Price Target

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on BLK shares. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised BlackRock from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,280.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,308.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total transaction of $58,920,245.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 51,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,971,514.62. This trade represents a 51.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $12,363,724.98. The trade was a 71.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BLK opened at $953.67 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,089.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,099.40. The company has a market cap of $148.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $773.74 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.78% and a net margin of 22.93%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $11.93 earnings per share. BlackRock’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a boost from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is 58.84%.

BlackRock Company 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.