Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Buys 924 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 275.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,259 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 924 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $1,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 100.0% during the first quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Garde Capital Inc. grew its stake in BlackRock by 200.0% during the second quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 107.1% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. The trade was a 62.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE BLK opened at $1,070.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $166.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.47. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $773.74 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,069.23 and its 200 day moving average is $1,096.78.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.78 by ($0.23). The firm had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.BlackRock’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $11.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,305.00 to $1,298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Argus raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,165.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,160.00 to $1,265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen raised BlackRock from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on BlackRock from $1,390.00 to $1,322.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,316.18.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock is named among institutional partners in Ondo Finance’s tokenization ecosystem, signaling further involvement in tokenized real-world assets that could open new AUM and fee opportunities. Ondo Finance Leads RWA Tokenization Revolution with $2 Billion Trading Volume in 2025
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s BUIDL product has delivered roughly $100M in cumulative dividend payouts since launch — a sign of product traction in digital asset distributions that can support fee income and client engagement. BlackRock’s BUIDL Sees $100M In Cumulative Dividend Payouts Since Launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine fund commentaries: BlackRock posted Q3 2025 commentaries for its Mid‑Cap Growth Equity Fund and Managed Volatility V.I. Fund — standard updates with limited immediate market impact but useful for fund-level positioning. BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Fund Q3 2025 Commentary BlackRock Managed Volatility V.I. Fund Q3 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock reduced small stakes in a couple of listed companies: it ceased to be a substantial holder in Australia’s Genesis Minerals and its disclosed Orion Corporation position fell below 5% — tactical portfolio moves that are company‑specific and unlikely to move BLK stock materially. BlackRock Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in Genesis Minerals Orion Corporation Disclosure (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Recruiting/brand item: BlackRock’s head of talent offered career advice for students — positive for hiring and employer brand but not a near‑term catalyst for the stock. BlackRock’s head of talent advice
• Neutral Sentiment: A market write‑up summarized why BLK underperformed the broader market in the last session — useful context but not new primary news. Here’s Why BlackRock (BLK) Fell More Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk: a group of U.S. states sued BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard alleging harm related to coal prices — this type of litigation can raise reputational risk and potentially constrain ESG engagement strategies. Red States Sue BlackRock, State Street And Vanguard Over Coal Prices
• Negative Sentiment: Crypto ETF outflows: BlackRock’s Ethereum spot ETF (ETHA) and its Bitcoin spot ETF (IBIT) saw notable single‑day outflows ($21.5M and $99M respectively), which can pressure short‑term fee revenue and signal investor sentiment volatility in digital-asset products. Ethereum Spot ETFs Update Bitcoin ETFs Close the Year with $348M Outflow

BlackRock Profile

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.