Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Sells 60,745 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 53.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 52,124 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 60,745 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $61,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westerkirk Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the second quarter valued at about $2,877,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 7.9% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 23,167 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $24,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,693 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 8.2% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 256,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $269,591,000 after purchasing an additional 19,404 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,201,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 20,020 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $21,006,000 after buying an additional 2,176 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Stock Down 0.1%

BLK stock opened at $1,088.01 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,068.03 and its 200 day moving average is $1,103.57. The stock has a market cap of $168.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.47. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $773.74 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The business’s revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 53.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BLK. Bank of America increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Argus raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,165.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,322.00 to $1,310.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,180.00 to $1,218.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, BlackRock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,315.35.

More BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews expect Q4 strength from AUM growth and inflows, which could support revenue and fee income for the quarter. BlackRock Gears Up For Q4 Print
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock signals thematic repositioning for 2026 — emphasizing AI exposure via energy and infrastructure rather than concentrating in big tech — which could benefit performance if those sectors lead the cycle. Investors back energy providers over big tech for 2026 AI bets, says BlackRock
• Positive Sentiment: Larry Fink co‑chairs the World Economic Forum this week, raising BlackRock’s public profile among global policymakers and corporate leaders — a potential reputational plus. BlackRock’s Fink co-chairs Davos
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory stake disclosures in smaller European companies (Orion, Stora Enso) show routine portfolio adjustments and reporting — typical for a large passive/active manager; limited direct impact to BLK’s valuation. Orion Corporation disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Company statement clarifying it does not buy single‑family homes after a political proposal reduces regulatory uncertainty around its residential real‑estate activities. BlackRock Says It Does Not Buy Single-Family Homes
• Neutral Sentiment: Block trade activity: a reported $339M move in bitcoin tied to BlackRock flows drew trader attention — could affect sentiment for crypto‑exposed funds but is not necessarily a lasting company revenue signal. BlackRock Moves $339M in Bitcoin
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock is cutting roughly 250 roles (about 1% of staff) as part of a reshaping/efficiency push — layoffs often signal cost discipline but can spook investors about near‑term execution or revenue mix changes. BlackRock to cut around 250 jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary (including TV and press) is focusing on bank earnings and other financials this week, which may divert investor attention from BlackRock’s upcoming quarter and temper short‑term stock momentum. Jim Cramer Says Bank Earnings Are Stealing the Spotlight

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

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 stock was sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,478,346.42. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.