Capital World Investors Sells 2,472,588 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Capital World Investors trimmed its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 71.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 983,617 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,472,588 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors’ holdings in BlackRock were worth $1,053,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,062,677 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $15,051,846,000 after acquiring an additional 221,123 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,838,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,108,968,000 after acquiring an additional 12,019 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,167,460 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,374,394,000 after acquiring an additional 27,640 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth $2,742,680,000. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,976,762 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,116,082,000 after acquiring an additional 135,674 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In other news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total value of $35,613,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $242,168,583.80. This represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total transaction of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 210,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $222,082,527.60. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on BLK shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of BlackRock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,269.00 to $1,128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,269.06.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $996.54 on Monday. BlackRock has a 1 year low of $917.39 and a 1 year high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.09 and a quick ratio of 4.09. The company’s 50-day moving average is $1,033.61 and its 200 day moving average is $1,051.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.40 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.56 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.40% and a return on equity of 14.74%. BlackRock’s quarterly revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock will post 52.8 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.53%.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) reported its first daily inflow in 13 days, bringing in $47.66 million and ending a recent streak of outflows. That suggests at least some stabilization in one of BlackRock’s most-watched ETF products. BlackRock Records First Bitcoin ETF Inflow in 13 Days
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock executives sounded constructive on the macro backdrop, with commentary on a solid U.S. jobs report, AI-driven market trends, and the Fed’s likely patience on rates. Softer rate-hike expectations can support risk assets and asset-manager sentiment. BlackRock’s Rieder Talks Jobs Report, AI and Markets
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed that its combined stake in Orion Corporation rose above 5%, highlighting ongoing portfolio activity and continued influence as a major global shareholder. Orion Corporation Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Neutral Sentiment: One analyst write-up said BlackRock’s fair value estimate was trimmed only slightly, pointing to mixed Street views rather than a major shift in fundamentals. Why The Narrative Around BlackRock (BLK) Is Shifting After Mixed Analyst Target Resets
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s portfolio manager Jeffrey Rosenberg said the Fed is not in a hurry to raise rates, reinforcing the view that policy may remain supportive for markets, though the comment itself is not company-specific. Fed Is In No Hurry To Raise Rates, BlackRock’s Rosenberg Says
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock was also included in a sector-wide selloff tied to redemption concerns around Cliffwater’s Corporate Lending Fund, which raised fresh worries about liquidity in alternative credit products. Alternative Managers Shares Slip as Cliffwater Redemption Fears Mount
• Negative Sentiment: Broader crypto headlines remain a headwind: Bitcoin ETFs saw large outflows over the prior 13 days, and BlackRock’s IBIT was cited as a major contributor to the pressure, which can weigh on sentiment toward BLK’s ETF growth story. Bitcoin ETFs Lose $4.4B as Outflows Hit 13-Day Record Run

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.