Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Invests $357.25 Million in BlackRock $BLK

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 371,528 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $357,246,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oakworth Capital Inc. grew its position in BlackRock by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 755 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 212 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Manske Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Manske Wealth Management now owns 345 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Gibson Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Gibson Capital LLC now owns 308 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 230 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BlackRock Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $1,178.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,072.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,045.14. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $917.39 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market cap of $182.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 3.59, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 24.09%.The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $12.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 55.86 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,260.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded BlackRock from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $1,165.00 to $1,364.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research raised shares of BlackRock from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,311.06.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong inflows into Bitcoin products: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) reportedly attracted about $209 million of a $338 million total inflow into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs on Aug. 24. Record IBIT options activity—reported at 1.58 million contracts—also points to elevated investor engagement and could support fee-generating assets under management. BlackRock Adds Over 60% of Bitcoin’s $338 Million ETF Inflow
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Wall Street analysts continue to express optimism about BlackRock’s long-term growth prospects, despite the stock having lagged the broader market over the past year. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed substantial revenue and earnings beats, reinforcing the bullish outlook. What Are Wall Street Analysts’ Target Price for BlackRock Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Alternative-asset expansion is gaining visibility: BlackRock’s acquisition of a major stake in Five Below and its role in data-center investment activity highlight the firm’s expanding reach across private markets and growth assets. These developments could support future fee growth, although they are not immediate earnings catalysts for BLK. Data Center Deals Propel July CRE Sales Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine ETF distribution announced: BlackRock Canada declared final August cash distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. The payment is positive for fund unitholders but should have little direct effect on BlackRock’s corporate earnings or stock valuation. BlackRock Canada Announces Final August Cash Distributions
• Negative Sentiment: Private-credit cleanup raises execution concerns: BlackRock is reportedly exploring a sale of TCP Capital’s remaining $671 million loan portfolio. The move could reduce legacy credit risk and sharpen the private-credit strategy, but it also underscores stress in the vehicle and creates uncertainty around valuation and potential losses. BlackRock Weighs Options for Its $671 Million Private Credit Portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Legal-investigation headline adds risk: The Rosen law firm said it is investigating potential claims involving alleged misleading information tied to BlackRock mutual funds. The report does not establish wrongdoing, but it could create reputational, regulatory, or litigation concerns. BlackRock Investor News Regarding Potential Mutual Fund Claims

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.