Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Insider John Finley Sells 45,000 Shares of Stock

Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) insider John Finley sold 45,000 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.11, for a total transaction of $6,619,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 516,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,911,260.87. This trade represents a 8.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Blackstone Stock Down 0.3%

Blackstone stock opened at $146.71 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $125.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.72. Blackstone Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.73 and a 52-week high of $190.09. The firm has a market cap of $110.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.82, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.56.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.18. Blackstone had a net margin of 21.84% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The business had revenue of $5.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 earnings per share. Blackstone’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Blackstone Inc. will post 6 EPS for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.29 per share. This is an increase from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. This represents a $5.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. Blackstone’s payout ratio is 115.44%.

Blackstone News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone and Quebec pension fund La Caisse agreed to acquire a 25% stake in Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program for nearly $2 billion. The transaction expands Blackstone’s exposure to consumer and alternative-asset investments and could support future fee-related earnings. Blackstone, La Caisse to Buy 25% of Air Canada’s Aeroplan Loyalty Program
• Positive Sentiment: A Blackstone-backed consortium is reportedly set to acquire 27 properties from H&R REIT, adding to the firm’s real-estate portfolio and creating potential management and investment-fee revenue. Blackstone Real Estate-Backed Consortium to Acquire 27 Properties From H&R REIT
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone is one of six financial firms partnering with Nvidia to help mobilize more than $500 billion for AI-infrastructure financing. The initiative could provide long-term origination, asset-management and financing opportunities, although returns will depend on execution and demand for AI capacity. Nvidia Targets Over $500 Billion for AI Infrastructure Financing
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Ruth Porat purchased a combined 455 BX shares for roughly $62,400, modestly increasing her holdings. The purchases may signal confidence but are small relative to Blackstone’s market capitalization. Blackstone Insider Purchase Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate Blackstone is considering abandoning a plan to raise approximately $3 billion of debt to fund cash returns. Scrapping the proposal could reduce near-term financial flexibility for distributions and has added uncertainty around capital allocation. Blackstone Considers Scrapping $3B Stakes-for-Cash Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Two insiders sold a combined 54,500 shares for about $8 million. Chief Accounting Officer David Payne reduced his position by 12.85%, while John G. Finley cut his holdings by 8.02%; the sales may weigh on sentiment, though insider transactions can reflect personal financial planning. Blackstone Insider Sale Filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BX. Family CFO Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackstone in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Blackstone in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 70.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BX shares. Dbs Bank upgraded Blackstone to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on shares of Blackstone from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Blackstone in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $134.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Blackstone from $136.00 to $132.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blackstone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.95.

About Blackstone

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.