Morningstar Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in BlackRock $BLK

Morningstar Investment Management LLC cut its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 13.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,168 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 1,689 shares during the period. BlackRock accounts for 0.7% of Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $10,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in BlackRock by 42.9% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,290,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Orleans Capital Management Corp LA boosted its stake in BlackRock by 53.6% during the 1st quarter. Orleans Capital Management Corp LA now owns 1,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,368,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 1st quarter worth $35,435,000. Caxton Associates LLP grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 26.8% during the first quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 241 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 30.7% during the first quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 4,861 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,675,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,304.29.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BlackRock stock opened at $1,054.61 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,029.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,042.05. The stock has a market cap of $163.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.09 and a quick ratio of 4.09. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $917.39 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.01% and a net margin of 24.09%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $12.05 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that BlackRock will post 55.63 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.78%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total value of $35,613,645.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $242,168,583.80. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total transaction of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 210,186 shares in the company, valued at $222,082,527.60. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock announced a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, reinforcing confidence in the firm’s cash generation and shareholder returns. BlackRock Declares Quarterly Dividend of $5.73 on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest in BlackRock’s ETF franchise remains strong, with reports highlighting continued momentum in iShares and the recovery in Bitcoin ETF inflows led by IBIT. BlackRock (BLK) Could Be 21% Below Fair Value As Dividend Signals Confidence BlackRock’s IBIT Leads Nearly $1B Bitcoin ETF Recovery as Inflows Hit 7 Straight Days
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock is also being tied to large-scale growth opportunities, including a reported $12.3 billion bond financing for Meta’s Texas AI data facility, underscoring its reach in capital markets and infrastructure finance. BlackRock (BLK) Markets $12.3B in Bonds for Meta’s Texas AI Data Facility
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed a larger stake in Qiagen, raising its voting power to 13%; this is notable for BlackRock’s portfolio activity, but it is not a direct catalyst for BLK earnings. BlackRock builds 11.6% stake in Qiagen, lifting voting power to 13%
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock joined other firms in a $15 million Bitcoin security consortium focused on quantum-resistant protections, a long-term strategic initiative with limited immediate financial impact. BlackRock, Coinbase and Strategy Pledge $15M to Quantum-Proof Bitcoin
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted bond investors demanding higher yields on the Meta-linked financing deal, which may reflect increased caution around AI infrastructure risk and could slightly pressure sentiment around BlackRock’s role in the transaction. Bond investors demand higher yields on BlackRock AI-linked financing deal

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.