Strs Ohio Sells 3,401 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Strs Ohio lessened its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,465 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 3,401 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $51,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its position in BlackRock by 450.0% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in BlackRock by 107.1% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC raised its position in BlackRock by 87.5% during the second quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of BLK opened at $1,139.45 on Friday. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $773.74 and a 12 month high of $1,219.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,076.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,106.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $176.79 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.47.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.14% and a net margin of 22.93%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $11.93 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. This is a boost from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.84%.

BlackRock News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Larry Fink warned at Davos that AI could widen inequality but used the platform to push for shared benefits and tokenization — reinforcing BlackRock’s role as a market leader and steward of large institutional flows. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: ‘What Happens to Everyone Else’ If AI Fuels Inequality?
• Positive Sentiment: Fink told reporters he doesn’t see an AI bubble, signaling confidence in continued, sustainable AI investment — a bullish signal for BlackRock’s AI‑oriented strategies and tech exposure. BlackRock’s Fink Not Worried About a Bubble Forming in AI
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock continues to push tokenization and blockchain as market plumbing (BUIDL money‑market tokenization cited with >$2B locked) — accelerates a potential new AUM/fees channel if adoption broadens. World Economic Forum: BlackRock’s CEO Calls for Tokenization and Blockchain Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: On‑chain activity tied to BlackRock moved ~ $430M of BTC/ETH to Coinbase Prime — indicative of institutional custody/capital flows that support BlackRock’s crypto product ecosystem. BlackRock-linked wallets move over $430 million in bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime
• Positive Sentiment: Rick Rieder’s name gaining traction as a potential Fed chair candidate raised market attention to BlackRock’s policy influence — could be seen as a governance/relationship positive for the firm. Rieder odds rising for Fed chair after Trump calls BlackRock executive ‘very impressive’
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock adjusted disclosed stakes in several public companies (e.g., BAWAG) — shows active portfolio positioning but not an immediate AUM/earnings driver. BlackRock Adjusts Stake in BAWAG Group to 5.83% of Voting Rights
• Neutral Sentiment: Vice Chairman Philipp Hildebrand’s Davos remarks on geopolitics and AI are informative for strategy/positioning but are not an immediate financial catalyst. Davos: BlackRock’s Hildebrand on Geopolitics, Europe’s Role, AI
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows on the day (including BlackRock’s IBIT) — a near‑term headwind to crypto‑AUM and fee revenue. Bitcoin ETFs Log Off $488.38M as GBTC by Grayscale Takes the Lead
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Martin Small disclosed a sale of 27,047 shares (~$31.7M) — insider selling can trigger short‑term concern among some investors even if routine. SEC Form 4 — Martin Small sale

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. The trade was a 71.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,351.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,314.71.

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.