Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Takes $25.44 Million Position in BlackRock $BLK

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 26,460 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $25,443,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 755 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 212 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Manske Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Manske Wealth Management now owns 345 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Gibson Capital LLC raised its position in BlackRock by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 308 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 230 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Bitcoin ETF demand could support fee revenue. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust led recent U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows, including $284.7 million in one session and $588.5 million over three days. Continued cryptocurrency demand could increase assets under management and fee income. Bitcoin ETF Inflows Hit $517M While BTC Tests Key Resistance
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal is drawing investor attention. A recent analysis describes BlackRock as an attractive dividend stock, reinforcing the company’s appeal to income-oriented investors after its latest quarter exceeded expectations on both earnings and revenue. Why BlackRock Is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock continues deploying capital and expanding alternative-asset exposure. The firm and Oaktree seized debt-laden movie servicer MBS, highlighting potential opportunities in distressed and private credit markets, though such investments also carry execution risk. BlackRock, Oaktree Seize Debt-Laden Movie Servicer MBS
• Neutral Sentiment: Large Qiagen stake creates potential strategic upside but adds concentration risk. Dutch regulatory filings show BlackRock owns roughly 11.5% of Qiagen’s capital and more than 12% of its voting rights. The holding demonstrates significant investment activity, but the filings do not indicate a change in BlackRock’s operating outlook. BlackRock Reveals Stake in Qiagen
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm’s investigation remains an overhang. Rosen Law Firm is seeking investors who may have suffered losses in BlackRock mutual funds amid allegations that business information was materially misleading. This is only an investigation announcement, not a finding of wrongdoing, but it could create reputational and legal risk. BlackRock Investor News

BlackRock Trading Up 1.5%

BlackRock stock opened at $1,157.28 on Friday. BlackRock has a one year low of $917.39 and a one year high of $1,219.94. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,067.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,044.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 3.59 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The company has a market capitalization of $179.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.73 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 24.09%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 30.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $12.05 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 55.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 54.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on BLK shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,258.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,270.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,311.06.

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.