Deutsche Bank AG Sells 105,837 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Deutsche Bank AG trimmed its position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 406,773 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 105,837 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $435,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Norges Bank bought a new position in BlackRock during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,742,680,000. Oak Harvest Investment Services grew its holdings in BlackRock by 12,176.1% during the 4th quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 1,595,153 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,707,356,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582,159 shares during the last quarter. Blue Owl Capital Holdings LP bought a new position in BlackRock during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,012,487,000. Viking Global Investors LP grew its holdings in BlackRock by 217.5% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 619,492 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $722,247,000 after purchasing an additional 424,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in BlackRock by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,070,468 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,216,105,000 after purchasing an additional 253,314 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of BLK opened at $1,012.13 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,037.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,051.48. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $917.39 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.40, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.09.

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

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BLK. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Evercore cut their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,220.00 to $1,140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,368.00 to $1,393.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,264.61.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock announced a new Bitcoin Premium Income ETF with a 0.65% fee, pricing it below some rivals as it prepares to compete for crypto-focused assets. The move could support fee revenue and reinforce BlackRock’s leadership in digital-asset ETFs. BlackRock Unveils 0.65% Fee Structure for Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BITA)
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock continues to dominate U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF flows alongside Fidelity, suggesting strong demand for its iShares crypto products even as broader Bitcoin ETF flows have been volatile. BlackRock and Fidelity Dominate U.S. Bitcoin ETF Flows
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock also launched a new space exploration ETF, adding another thematic product that could attract investor inflows and highlight its ability to expand into fast-growing niches. BlackRock Launches Space ETF as Sector Pulls In $8 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock confirmed a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, reinforcing its strong cash-generation profile and shareholder-return appeal. BlackRock Inc (BLK) Offers Dividend As It Sees Crypto Shaping Markets
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock sold about $230 million in Bitcoin while buying Ethereum, which may reflect portfolio rebalancing within its crypto strategy rather than a clear bullish or bearish signal for the stock. BlackRock sells $230M in Bitcoin while scooping up Ethereum in notable portfolio shift
• Neutral Sentiment: An Orion Corporation filing showed BlackRock’s ownership fell below 5%, but this looks like a routine holdings disclosure and is unlikely to materially affect BLK shares on its own. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock’s commentary warning about quantum-computing risks to Bitcoin and Ethereum is notable for the crypto industry, but it is more of a long-term risk discussion than an immediate driver for BLK stock. BlackRock Warns Bitcoin And Ethereum Investors About Quantum Computing

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the business’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 transaction of $35,613,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,516 shares in the company, valued at $242,168,583.80. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the business’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 transaction, the president owned 210,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $222,082,527.60. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

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.