Level Four Advisory Services LLC Cuts Holdings in BlackRock $BLK

Level Four Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,257 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 881 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $11,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BLK. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its position in BlackRock by 450.0% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in BlackRock by 866.7% during the third quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:BLK opened at $1,068.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,094.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,102.10. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $165.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.48.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $11.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BlackRock news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 54,190 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,087.29, for a total value of $58,920,245.10. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 51,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,971,514.62. This represents a 51.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen Cohen sold 2,179 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,073.87, for a total transaction of $2,339,962.73. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,026,331.41. This trade represents a 24.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 111,319 shares of company stock valued at $123,999,249. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is part of a consortium that agreed to acquire AES, a large deal that boosts GIP deal flow and potential fee and carry income for BlackRock’s infrastructure business. BlackRock, EQT-Led Consortium to Acquire AES for $10.7 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock reiterated its long dividend track record with a March 24 dividend payment — a predictable cash return that supports income-focused investor demand for BLK shares. BlackRock to pay dividends on March 24; Here’s how much 100 BLK shares will earn
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock increased its stake in Austria’s BAWAG to 5.49%, signaling active portfolio positioning that could translate into realized gains or strategic influence. BlackRock Raises Stake in Austria’s BAWAG Group to 5.49%
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and retail commentary are revisiting BlackRock’s valuation after a modest pullback over the past month despite strong multi‑year returns — this keeps BLK under active re‑rating and discussion but is not a discrete catalyst. BlackRock (BLK) Valuation Check After Recent Pullback And Strong Multi Year Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock foundation research shows rising investor participation among low/moderate income Americans — a positive structural trend for long‑term retail flows into products but with gradual impact. New Report from The BlackRock Foundation and Commonwealth Confirms Surging Investor Participation
• Negative Sentiment: A BlackRock-backed consortium seeking to buy CK Hutchison’s ports business is pressing to close the deal without two seized Panama terminals — a sign of regulatory/asset risk that could delay closing, increase transaction complexity and create reputational or execution uncertainty. BlackRock-backed group seeks to close CK Hutchison ports deal without Panama assets, FT reports
• Negative Sentiment: Macro shock from the U.S.–Iran conflict is lifting oil and bond yields and re‑awakening inflation concerns — higher volatility and rising yields can pressure equity markets and influence asset flows across BlackRock’s active and passive businesses. Treasuries Rout Shows Iran Conflict Reigniting Inflation Worry
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock TCP Capital (a BRC-managed closed‑end vehicle) reported a sharp NAV hit — negative news for that product family and a reminder of idiosyncratic risks within the firm’s credit/closed‑end exposures. BlackRock TCP Capital Confronts Sharp NAV Hit

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BLK has been the topic of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. CICC Research boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,311.11.

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.