Forsta AP Fonden Reduces Holdings in Blackstone Inc. $BX

Forsta AP Fonden decreased its holdings in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BXFree Report) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 160,300 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 19,700 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Blackstone were worth $24,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jain Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone in the third quarter worth approximately $9,116,000. Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its holdings in Blackstone by 1.9% during the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 1,270,608 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $217,083,000 after purchasing an additional 24,237 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Blackstone by 20.4% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 840,401 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $143,582,000 after purchasing an additional 142,479 shares in the last quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Blackstone by 16,035.1% during the third quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,140,264 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $194,746,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Blackstone by 2.1% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 904,237 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $154,489,000 after purchasing an additional 18,339 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

Blackstone Price Performance

Blackstone stock opened at $117.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $86.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.93, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $118.68 and its 200 day moving average is $132.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Blackstone Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.73 and a 52-week high of $190.09.

Blackstone (NYSE:BXGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.45 billion. Blackstone had a net margin of 20.67% and a return on equity of 22.86%. Blackstone’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Monday, May 4th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio is presently 118.67%.

Insider Activity at Blackstone

In related news, insider Vikrant Sawhney sold 30,014 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.79, for a total transaction of $3,775,461.06. Following the sale, the insider owned 899,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $113,169,363.51. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ruth Porat acquired 355 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $123.04 per share, for a total transaction of $43,679.20. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 41,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,145,286.72. The trade was a 0.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 12,355,303 shares of company stock valued at $264,789,896 and have sold 7,532,518 shares valued at $30,496,500. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BX shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Blackstone from $143.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Blackstone from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Blackstone to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Blackstone from $164.00 to $131.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Blackstone from $126.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.05.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Blackstone

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About Blackstone

(Free Report)

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Blackstone (NYSE:BX)

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