Howard Capital Management LLC Buys 5,042 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Howard Capital Management LLC increased its stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 478.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,095 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 5,042 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $6,450,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter worth approximately $9,747,857,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 5,190.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,490,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $5,876,618,000 after purchasing an additional 5,386,640 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,409,095,000. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at $129,138,253,000. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 106,934.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 1,284,408 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $128,441,000 after buying an additional 1,283,208 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results support the rally. BlackRock reported adjusted earnings of $15.93 per share, exceeding the $14.32 consensus estimate, while revenue of $7.75 billion also topped expectations and increased 19.1% year over year. Improved operating income and margins helped ease concerns about profitability. BlackRock Stock Jumps as Q3 Earnings Power Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Record inflows point to continued organic growth. BlackRock attracted approximately $205 billion in net new client assets during the quarter, lifting assets under management to roughly $15.5 trillion. Broad ETF demand, fixed income, private markets and technology fees are diversifying the company’s revenue base. How Record Inflows at BlackRock Have Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their expectations. JPMorgan increased its price target to $1,449 and maintained an Overweight rating, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its target to $1,310 with an Outperform rating. Bank of America also reiterated a Buy rating and lifted its target to $1,313, citing strong earnings and ETF inflows. Analysts Boost Forecasts on BlackRock
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure could create new fee opportunities. Management highlighted financing for data centers and compute infrastructure, along with growth in higher-fee products, as potential longer-term earnings drivers. CEO Larry Fink’s support for continued data-center construction reinforces BlackRock’s positioning in this investment theme. BlackRock Sees Large Opportunity in Developing Compute Market
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock disclosed portfolio changes involving stakes in Qiagen, Suzano, Caledonia Mining and Fagron. These transactions demonstrate ongoing investment activity but are not expected to materially affect BLK’s earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Ethereum ETFs experienced another day of net redemptions, led by BlackRock’s ETHA. Persistent crypto-fund outflows could pressure short-term fee revenue, although the impact is limited relative to BlackRock’s broader platform. Ethereum ETFs See Outflows
• Negative Sentiment: BlackRock faces tougher competition in low-cost Nasdaq-100 ETFs from State Street and other providers, while early inflows remain limited and trading volumes trail the established QQQ product. QQQ vs. Cheaper Nasdaq-100 ETFs

BlackRock Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of BlackRock stock traded up $12.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,133.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,172,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 587,276. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $917.39 and a 1-year high of $1,187.17. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,106.23 and a 200 day moving average of $1,062.85. The company has a market capitalization of $175.48 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $15.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.32 by $1.61. The business had revenue of $7.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.42 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.22% and a return on equity of 16.08%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.43 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 56.28 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th were issued a $5.73 dividend. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on BLK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,435.00 to $1,449.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,275.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on BlackRock from $1,479.00 to $1,468.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on BlackRock from $1,250.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on BlackRock from $1,290.00 to $1,310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,312.06.

BlackRock Company Profile

BlackRock, Inc is a global investment management and financial technology company serving individual investors, institutions, governments and financial professionals. The company provides investment management, risk management and advisory services across a broad range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, multi-asset strategies, alternatives and cash management.

BlackRock offers investment products through mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other vehicles. Its iShares brand is one of the company’s principal platforms for exchange-traded funds, providing access to domestic and international markets, industry sectors, bonds, commodities and specialized investment strategies.

The company also provides technology and analytical solutions through its Aladdin platform, which is used by asset managers, institutional investors and other financial organizations for portfolio management, risk analysis, trading and operational support.