BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Short Interest Update

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,503,354 shares, a growth of 21.9% from the January 15th total of 1,233,437 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 748,061 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 748,061 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on BLK shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,313.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Loop Capital set a $1,255.00 price objective on BlackRock in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. UBS Group set a $1,280.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, CICC Research raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BlackRock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,311.11.

BlackRock Price Performance

BLK stock traded up $15.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,087.75. The company had a trading volume of 186,532 shares, compared to its average volume of 792,736. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,093.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,105.31. The company has a market capitalization of $168.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 3.33 and a quick ratio of 3.33.

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

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 58.84%.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on BlackRock to $1,340 and kept an “outperform” rating — a clear analyst-side catalyst that supports upside expectations and likely helped buying interest. Keefe Bruyette & Woods Adjusts Price Target on BlackRock
• Positive Sentiment: Street sentiment remains constructive — analysts’ consensus ratings are around “Moderate Buy”, reinforcing the momentum from recent upgrades and underpinning demand for BLK shares. BlackRock Receives Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s active investing moves — notably a large, publicized accumulation in AI-infrastructure company Nebius — highlight the firm’s strategic deployments into growth areas (AI, infrastructure), which investors view as long-term upside for BLK’s AUM and fees. Whale Watching: BlackRock’s Massive Bet on Nebius Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Crypto-ETF filings are driving headlines: new large buyers of BLK’s IBIT (iShares Bitcoin Trust) and big reported positions (Jane Street, a Hong Kong-linked filer) are increasing attention on BlackRock’s crypto ETF franchise — this can boost AUM but flows are volatile and attribution is often unclear. Bitcoin ‘Ghost Whale’ Emerges: New Hong Kong Filer Tops Q4 IBIT Buys
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine operational news: BlackRock Canada announced February cash distributions for many iShares ETFs — a steady reminder of fee-generating ETF operations but not a major stock mover by itself. BlackRock Canada Announces February Cash Distributions
• Negative Sentiment: Legal notices and shareholder-law-firm announcements (Rosen, Bragar Eagel & Squire, Pomerantz) create a potential overhang — these are early-stage investigations/filings that can attract attention and weigh on sentiment until resolved. Rosen Law Firm Announces Investigation of BlackRock
• Negative Sentiment: Some press highlighted investor concerns and short-term slippage in BLK (coverage noting “slid on investors’ concerns” and ETF outflow days). That kind of coverage can amplify volatility even when fundamentals remain intact. BlackRock Slid on Investors’ Concerns

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Robert L. Goldstein sold 5,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.22, for a total value of $5,738,776.46. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 46,185 shares in the company, valued at $50,074,700.70. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 shares were sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total value of $22,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,630,750. This trade represents a 24.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 109,967 shares of company stock valued at $122,487,380. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in BlackRock by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 12,804 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $13,375,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 773 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.