Great Lakes Advisors LLC Sells 2,287 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Great Lakes Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,709 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 2,287 shares during the quarter. BlackRock accounts for approximately 1.5% of Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.10% of BlackRock worth $183,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,991,264 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $14,680,334,000 after acquiring an additional 227,192 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,143,429 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,281,641,000 after acquiring an additional 34,049 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter worth about $2,644,007,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in BlackRock by 72.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,104,122,000 after purchasing an additional 842,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in BlackRock by 105,267.4% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,789,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,280 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BlackRock Stock Up 1.3%

BlackRock stock opened at $1,121.17 on Thursday. BlackRock has a fifty-two week low of $773.74 and a fifty-two week high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,083.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,107.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 3.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 15.14%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $11.93 EPS. Analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Freedom Capital upgraded BlackRock from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 price target on BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group set a $1,280.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,314.71.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total value of $31,675,823.58. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,363,724.98. This represents a 71.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total value of $22,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,630,750. The trade was a 24.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 48,305 shares of company stock worth $55,488,396 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock and MSCI extended their long-term equity index licensing pact, preserving a steady revenue stream tied to index licensing and ETF indexing that supports recurring fees. MSCI, BlackRock extend long-term equity index licensing pact
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock co-led a $257M Series D for cell‑therapy automation company Cellares, showing continued private-market deal activity and growth in alternatives that can boost fee diversification and long‑term AUM. Cellares Raises $257 Million Series D Led by BlackRock and Eclipse
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock added Gregg R. Lemkau to its board, strengthening governance with an experienced investor whose network and deal expertise could aid strategic oversight. BlackRock Elects Gregg Lemkau to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed it boosted its stake in Archer Aviation — a sign of conviction in selected private/public growth bets; this demonstrates active portfolio deployment but has limited near-term impact on BLK’s fee base. Did BlackRock Build A New Floor for Archer’s Stock Price?
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock filed for another Bitcoin ETF, expanding its crypto product lineup; filings signal potential future revenue and market share gains in digital-asset ETF flows but depend on approvals and investor adoption. BlackRock Drops Another Bitcoin ETF, But No Sign Of An XRP ETF
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculation that BlackRock’s Rick Rieder is a frontrunner for Fed chair keeps the firm in headlines; markets interpret his fixed‑income stature as a potential tailwind for rate-sensitive flows, though the development also raises governance and political scrutiny questions. The market thinks BlackRock’s Rick Rieder will be the next Fed chair
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary on BlackRock’s new covered‑call Bitcoin ETF warns of a crowded product market and potential investor misalignment; such criticism can temper enthusiasm for fee expansion in niche ETF strategies. BlackRock’s New Covered Call Bitcoin ETF Is Another Red Flag for a Dangerous Investing Trend
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat but revenue below some estimates; AUM and revenue growth remain strong year‑over‑year, supporting investor confidence in fee durability despite mixed top‑line prints. BlackRock recent earnings summary

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.