820 Shares in BlackRock $BLK Purchased by Johnson Financial Group Inc.

Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 820 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $788,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Rather & Kittrell Inc. grew its stake in BlackRock by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Rather & Kittrell Inc. now owns 430 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $461,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 755 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 212 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Manske Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Manske Wealth Management now owns 345 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gibson Capital LLC grew its position in BlackRock by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 308 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $189.3 million in net inflows Tuesday, bringing August inflows near $951 million. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust led with $143.6 million, signaling continued investor demand for one of BlackRock’s fastest-growing product areas. Bitcoin ETFs add $189M as August net inflows approach $1B
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock reiterated that Bitcoin remains a viable diversification asset after its sharp selloff and said a 1%–2% allocation could improve risk-adjusted returns in a traditional portfolio. The supportive stance may help sustain interest in BlackRock’s crypto offerings. Bitcoin has largely purged froth, BlackRock says
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed a roughly $3.45 billion stake in Biogen, whose shares reached a 52-week high after an earnings beat and upgraded outlook. The investment highlights the scale of BlackRock’s asset-management platform, though gains primarily accrue to fund investors rather than directly to BLK earnings. Biogen stock surges after BlackRock investment
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced monthly cash distributions for numerous iShares ETFs, with payments scheduled for August 31 to investors of record on August 26. The announcement supports product visibility and investor engagement but does not materially change BlackRock’s earnings outlook. BlackRock Canada announces August cash distributions
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s HPS private-credit unit was reported among creditors taking over MBS Group alongside Oaktree Capital. The development may demonstrate private-credit activity, while also highlighting potential credit and workout risks. BlackRock’s HPS among creditors taking over MBS Group
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm said it is investigating potential securities claims involving BlackRock mutual funds, alleging that the company may have provided materially misleading business information. The announcement is not a finding of wrongdoing, but could create legal costs, reputational risk and investor uncertainty. Rosen Law Firm investigates BlackRock mutual funds

BlackRock Price Performance

NYSE BLK opened at $1,159.16 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $179.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $917.39 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,062.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,043.28.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.69 by $1.22. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The company’s revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $12.05 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 55.63 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is currently 54.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BlackRock from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,270.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of BlackRock from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $1,165.00 to $1,364.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $1,311.06.

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.