Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX – Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 22,725 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 20% compared to the typical daily volume of 18,950 put options.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have issued reports on BX. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $128.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 8th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Blackstone from $154.00 to $144.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. HSBC restated a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Blackstone in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Citigroup raised shares of Blackstone from a “market outperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Blackstone from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Blackstone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.70.
Blackstone Price Performance
Shares of BX stock traded down $3.05 on Friday, reaching $106.15. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,704,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,064,505. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $128.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.26. Blackstone has a 1 year low of $101.73 and a 1 year high of $165.14. The company has a market capitalization of $79.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.
Blackstone (NYSE:BX – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.18. Blackstone had a net margin of 21.84% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The company had revenue of $5.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Blackstone’s revenue was up 35.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Blackstone will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Blackstone Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were given a dividend of $1.29 per share. This represents a $5.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. This is a boost from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 115.44%.
Key Headlines Impacting Blackstone
Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Blackstone-backed funds are expected to sell ZO Skin Health to Galderma for approximately $1.5 billion in cash. The transaction highlights a potential realization and capital-recycling opportunity, while some analysts believe the selloff has left BX undervalued. Blackstone funds set to exit ZO Skin Health in $1.5 billion Galderma deal Blackstone could be undervalued as ZO Skin Health sale revives focus
- Neutral Sentiment: Director Joseph Baratta plans to resign from Blackstone’s board at year-end, resulting in a planned board reduction. The departure is not being presented as an operational change, but investors may monitor whether it affects governance or leadership oversight. Joseph Baratta to resign from Blackstone board at year-end
- Negative Sentiment: Blackstone is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on October 22. Preview coverage expects earnings to decline despite continued assets-under-management growth, citing higher expenses, weaker revenue and limited exit activity. The report may provide important updates on fundraising, capital deployment and realizations. Blackstone Q3 earnings preview
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts have lowered their fair-value assessments and UBS has cut its price target as softer realizations weigh on expectations. A reported delay of the Blackstone-backed AirTrunk IPO also signals challenging conditions for exits, while a potential Firmus Technologies share-repurchase obligation could create additional financial exposure depending on contractual terms. Blackstone fair value edges lower Blackstone stock price target cut by UBS Blackstone faces Firmus buyback risk
Insider Activity
In related news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 3,767,776 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total transaction of $11,077,261.44. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,120 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,392.80. The trade was a 99.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Holdings Iv L.P. Blackstone bought 191,695 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.17 per share, with a total value of $5,016,658.15. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 8,895,478 shares in the company, valued at $232,794,659.26. This trade represents a 2.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 1,038,406 shares of company stock worth $27,205,951 and sold 4,077,276 shares worth $37,573,644. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Blackstone
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Blackstone by 7.3% in the third quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 32,514 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,644,000 after buying an additional 2,218 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Blackstone during the third quarter valued at $201,000. Selective Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Blackstone by 7.0% in the third quarter. Selective Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,101 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. GFG Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blackstone by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. GFG Capital LLC now owns 83,580 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,369,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Blackstone by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management LLC now owns 4,384 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $491,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.00% of the company’s stock.
About Blackstone
Blackstone Inc is a global alternative asset management firm that provides investment solutions to institutional investors, companies, financial advisers and individual investors. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson, the company has developed a broad platform spanning private markets and other alternative investments.
Blackstone’s businesses include private equity, real estate, credit and insurance, infrastructure, secondaries and hedge fund solutions. Its investment activities may involve acquiring and managing companies, commercial and residential properties, infrastructure assets, private credit and other investments on behalf of its clients.
The firm serves clients and invests across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international markets.
Further Reading
- Five stocks we like better than Blackstone
- Bank of America Stock Sell-Off Looks Like a Buying Opportunity
- AST SpaceMobile Is Down 67%—Could SpaceX’s Mobile Push Deepen the Selloff?
- GlobalFoundries’ $21 Billion Deal Could Change the Economics of Chipmaking
- Fundamental and Technicals Signals Align for Costco: Is the Stock Finally Breaking Out?
Receive News & Ratings for Blackstone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Blackstone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
