Cardiff Park Advisors LLC Takes Position in Blackstone Inc. $BX

Cardiff Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,858 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Family CFO Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Blackstone in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of BX stock opened at $129.72 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.02, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.58. Blackstone Inc. has a twelve month low of $101.73 and a twelve month high of $190.09.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.18. Blackstone had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 21.84%.The company had revenue of $5.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $1.29 dividend. This is a boost from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Blackstone’s payout ratio is 103.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 7,477,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.78, for a total transaction of $28,264,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 19,374 shares in the company, valued at $73,233.72. This represents a 99.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ruth Porat purchased 355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $123.04 per share, for a total transaction of $43,679.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 41,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,145,286.72. This trade represents a 0.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 10,252,345 shares of company stock worth $209,789,893. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $1.52 versus expectations around $1.33-$1.34 and revenue of $5.04 billion versus $3.42 billion expected, signaling better-than-expected operating performance. Blackstone Inc. (BX) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management hit a record $1.35 trillion, helped by nearly $70 billion in quarterly inflows, which suggests Blackstone continues to attract capital even in a tougher fundraising environment. Blackstone’s quarterly profit gets boost from asset pile, AI investment gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted that AI-related investments are starting to pay off, with gains across data centers, infrastructure, credit, and private markets boosting profit and growth prospects. BX Q2 Earnings Call Highlights AI Strategy & Fundraising Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Blackstone to $169 from $161 and kept an outperform rating, underscoring improved analyst confidence in the stock. Analyst price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Blackstone is also in the final bidding for yacht retailer MarineMax, a potential acquisition that could expand its deal flow, though the impact on earnings is still uncertain. Blackstone, Donerail among final bidders for yacht retailer MarineMax, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also announced a higher quarterly dividend, which is supportive for income-focused investors, but this is a smaller near-term driver than the earnings beat and AI-related growth narrative. Dividend announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. HSBC restated a “hold” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Blackstone in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Blackstone from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Blackstone from $122.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on shares of Blackstone from $134.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Blackstone from $126.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.76.

Blackstone Profile

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.