BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Price Target Raised to $1,550.00 at Morgan Stanley

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 in a report published on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on BLK. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $1,209.00 price objective (down previously from $1,407.00) on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their target price on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. UBS Group set a $1,280.00 target price on BlackRock in a report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on BlackRock from $1,310.00 to $1,340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,314.71.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of BLK opened at $1,164.72 on Friday. BlackRock has a 1 year low of $773.74 and a 1 year high of $1,219.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,071.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,104.66. The company has a market capitalization of $180.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 3.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $11.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s payout ratio is presently 58.84%.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total value of $13,980,480.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 107.1% in the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 87.5% in the second quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Key BlackRock News

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

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.