Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in BlackRock $BLK

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 76,665 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,097 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $89,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. Westerkirk Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter worth $2,877,000. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in BlackRock in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,201,000. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in BlackRock during the 3rd quarter worth $700,000. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in BlackRock by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 256,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $269,591,000 after buying an additional 19,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 6,347.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 42,234 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $49,239,000 after acquiring an additional 41,579 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BlackRock Stock Down 0.0%

BLK stock opened at $922.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $143.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $773.74 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,075.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,092.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $11.93 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the topic of several analyst reports. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BlackRock from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BlackRock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,308.89.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launch of iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) expands BlackRock’s crypto product lineup and produced a solid debut (~$15.5M day‑one volume), a positive revenue/flows catalyst if assets scale. BlackRock’s New Staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) Sees ‘Very, Very Solid’ $15.5 Million Debut, Says Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto market coverage notes whale ETH accumulation alongside the ETHB launch — bullish for BlackRock’s digital asset distribution and potential fee/flow growth. Ethereum (ETH) Sees Major Whale Buying as BlackRock Launches Staked ETF Product
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to BlackRock CIO calls (and related portfolio positioning) has helped lift some sector indices (clean energy) — indicative of the firm’s market influence and potential to drive ETF flows. Clean Energy Index Jumps 61% After BlackRock CIO’s Contrarian Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosures show BlackRock holds ~10–11% capital/voting stakes in Qiagen — a standard large‑holder filing that is notable but not an immediate company revenue driver. BlackRock Reports 10.6% Capital and 11.8% Voting Stake in Qiagen
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced index/methodology changes to three CAD‑hedged iShares funds — routine product updates with limited near‑term impact on BLK’s consolidated results. BlackRock® Canada Announces Product Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Private‑credit stress: reporting that Morgan Stanley and BlackRock capped/limited withdrawals in some private‑credit vehicles has pressured asset managers and sparked concerns about redemptions, markdowns and fee revenue risk. This is a near‑term negative for BLK if private‑credit flows and valuations deteriorate. Exclusive: Morgan Stanley and BlackRock limit withdrawals—is private credit gating a crisis or market ‘stabilizer’?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage highlights a BLK share pullback alongside weakness in private‑credit peers, signaling investor concern about the sector’s spillover to large asset managers. BlackRock Stock Slide As Private Credit Firms Tumble
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation alert: Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of BlackRock investors — potential legal/PR risk that could distract management and create uncertainty. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock, Inc. – BLK

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, Director Stephen Cohen sold 2,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,073.87, for a total value of $2,339,962.73. Following the sale, the director owned 6,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,026,331.41. This represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total value of $58,920,245.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 51,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,971,514.62. This represents a 51.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock valued at $123,999,249. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

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.