BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Lowered to Hold Rating by TD Cowen

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) was downgraded by research analysts at TD Cowen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $1,209.00 price objective on the asset manager’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price indicates a potential upside of 11.12% from the stock’s current price.

BLK has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on BlackRock from $1,196.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Cowen lowered BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BlackRock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,303.71.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BLK opened at $1,088.01 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,068.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,103.57.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.78 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.BlackRock’s revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.46 EPS. Equities analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total transaction of $1,312,572.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in BlackRock by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC raised its holdings in BlackRock by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 312 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Balefire LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the second quarter worth approximately $264,000. Finally, Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 4.7% during the second quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 785 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $824,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews expect inflows and AUM growth to support BlackRock’s upcoming Q4 results, which could underpin revenue and fee growth going into the print. Inflows, AUM Growth Likely to Support BlackRock’s Q4 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock says AI remains a top market theme but is shifting portfolio emphasis from big tech to energy and infrastructure — a strategic move that could open new revenue/flow opportunities if investors follow the thesis. BlackRock (BLK) Shifts AI Focus from Big Tech to Energy and Infrastructure Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock fixed-income CIO Rick Rieder reiterated a view that the Fed should cut rates toward ~3%, a stance that, if realized, could improve bond performance and fee-generating opportunities for the firm’s bond products. BlackRock’s Rieder repeats his view that Fed needs to bring interest rates down to 3%
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street analysts have issued forecast changes ahead of Q4; revisions can affect short-term volatility but are not uniform in direction yet. BlackRock Gears Up For Q4 Print; Here Are The Recent Forecast Changes From Wall Street’s Most Accurate Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosures show some BlackRock subsidiaries’ holdings in European names (Stora Enso, Orion) moved below 5% — routine reporting that can trigger trading in specific positions but is unlikely to change firm-level fundamentals. BlackRock Subsidiaries Report Sub-5% Holdings in Stora Enso
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report BlackRock will cut roughly 250 jobs (about 1% of staff) as management reshapes priorities — a sign of cost pressure and strategic change that pushed short-term investor caution. BlackRock to cut around 250 jobs in latest layoffs

About BlackRock

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.