Wall Street Zen Upgrades BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) to Hold

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,313.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,314.71.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $1,164.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $180.71 billion, a PE ratio of 32.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.47. BlackRock has a 1 year low of $773.74 and a 1 year high of $1,219.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,071.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,105.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 3.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 15.14%. BlackRock’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $11.93 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in BlackRock by 450.0% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 107.1% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 866.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and shareholder returns — BlackRock reported Q4 revenue and EPS above estimates, reached a record $14.04T AUM, raised the quarterly dividend 10% and authorized new buybacks, which supports cash returns and long‑term fee growth. BlackRock Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Record inflows driven by ETFs and cash products — Strong ETF and money‑market inflows pushed AUM higher and boosted fee revenue, underpinning near‑term growth momentum. BlackRock Earnings: Company Hits Record $14 Trillion in Assets Behind Strong ETF Flows
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI/Microsoft partnership funding — BlackRock said its AI‑infrastructure partnership with Microsoft has raised ~$12.5B toward a $30B target, highlighting new product and infrastructure initiatives that could produce fee opportunities. BlackRock Says AI Partnership Raises $12.5 Billion Toward $30 Billion Goal
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst stance — Several firms reiterated or raised targets after the results, including Morgan Stanley’s Overweight view with a high price target that signals substantial upside from current levels. BlackRock: Compounding Secular Growth at a Discounted Valuation Supports Overweight Rating and 34% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational change: ETF listings move — BlackRock will move four iShares money‑market/short‑duration ETFs to the NYSE in February; operationally minor but relevant for ETF market structure and liquidity. BlackRock to Change Primary Listing Venue for Four iShares ETFs
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic investments and private markets push — BlackRock outlined an ambitious plan to raise large private‑market pools and is pursuing deals (including a reported $333.6M commitment in India’s Aditya Birla renewables), signaling long‑term diversification but with longer realization timelines. Building ‘The Machine’: How BlackRock Plans To Raise $400B And Democratize Private Market Investing
• Negative Sentiment: Profit and margin pressure — Despite EPS and revenue beats, reported net income fell significantly year‑over‑year and operating profit showed pressure (per coverage), a reminder that earnings quality and cash generation face near‑term headwinds. BlackRock’s Profit Fell, Assets Hit Record $14 Trillion, in Fourth Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves and a few downgrades — Some shops trimmed targets (Evercore, BMO) and TD Cowen issued a downgrade, creating short‑term analyst chatter and potential volatility despite overall constructive sentiment from other firms. Evercore ISI Lowers Price Target on BlackRock to $1,275

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.