Blackstone Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:BX)

Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 22,725 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 20% compared to the average daily volume of 18,950 put options.

More Blackstone News

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone-backed funds are expected to sell ZO Skin Health to Galderma for approximately $1.5 billion in cash. The transaction highlights a potential realization and capital-recycling opportunity, while some analysts believe the selloff has left BX undervalued. Blackstone funds set to exit ZO Skin Health in $1.5 billion Galderma deal Blackstone could be undervalued as ZO Skin Health sale revives focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Joseph Baratta plans to resign from Blackstone’s board at year-end, resulting in a planned board reduction. The departure is not being presented as an operational change, but investors may monitor whether it affects governance or leadership oversight. Joseph Baratta to resign from Blackstone board at year-end
• Negative Sentiment: Blackstone is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on October 22. Preview coverage expects earnings to decline despite continued assets-under-management growth, citing higher expenses, weaker revenue and limited exit activity. The report may provide important updates on fundraising, capital deployment and realizations. Blackstone Q3 earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have lowered their fair-value assessments and UBS has cut its price target as softer realizations weigh on expectations. A reported delay of the Blackstone-backed AirTrunk IPO also signals challenging conditions for exits, while a potential Firmus Technologies share-repurchase obligation could create additional financial exposure depending on contractual terms. Blackstone fair value edges lower Blackstone stock price target cut by UBS Blackstone faces Firmus buyback risk

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on BX. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Blackstone from $114.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Blackstone from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Blackstone from $161.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup raised shares of Blackstone from a “market outperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Blackstone from $140.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.70.

Blackstone Stock Down 2.8%

Blackstone stock traded down $3.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $106.15. 3,704,106 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,064,505. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. Blackstone has a 12 month low of $101.73 and a 12 month high of $165.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $128.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.26. The company has a market cap of $79.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.59.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last posted 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 net margin of 21.84% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The business had revenue of $5.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 35.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Blackstone will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This is a positive change from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio is 115.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone

In other Blackstone news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 3,767,776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total transaction of $11,077,261.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,120 shares in the company, valued at $47,392.80. The trade was a 99.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Holdings Iv L.P. Blackstone bought 272,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.14 per share, for a total transaction of $7,126,861.88. Following the purchase, the insider owned 8,704,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $227,533,512.66. The trade was a 3.23% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 1,038,406 shares of company stock valued at $27,205,951 and have sold 4,077,276 shares valued at $37,573,644. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Blackstone by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 32,514 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 2,218 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Blackstone in the 3rd quarter worth $201,000. Selective Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,101 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. GFG Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. GFG Capital LLC now owns 83,580 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,369,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Blackstone by 2.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management LLC now owns 4,384 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

About Blackstone

Blackstone Inc is a global alternative asset management firm that provides investment solutions to institutional investors, companies, financial advisers and individual investors. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson, the company has developed a broad platform spanning private markets and other alternative investments.

Blackstone’s businesses include private equity, real estate, credit and insurance, infrastructure, secondaries and hedge fund solutions. Its investment activities may involve acquiring and managing companies, commercial and residential properties, infrastructure assets, private credit and other investments on behalf of its clients.

The firm serves clients and invests across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.