Investors Purchase High Volume of Blackstone Put Options (NYSE:BX)

Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 22,725 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 20% compared to the typical volume of 18,950 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blackstone

In related news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 3,767,776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total value of $11,077,261.44. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,120 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,392.80. The trade was a 99.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Holdings I. L.P. Blackstone sold 124,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.40, for a total value of $2,043,440.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 1,038,406 shares of company stock valued at $27,205,951 and sold 4,077,276 shares valued at $37,573,644. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blackstone

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. boosted its position in Blackstone by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 30,637 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,434,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. FIDELIS iM LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone during the third quarter valued at $255,000. SteelPeak Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Blackstone by 6.3% during the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 12,845 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Blackstone by 9.0% during the third quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 77,620 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,700,000 after purchasing an additional 6,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaStar Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the third quarter valued at about $283,000. 70.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Blackstone News

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone funds are reportedly set to exit ZO Skin Health through a $1.5 billion sale to Galderma. The transaction could provide a meaningful realization for Blackstone and demonstrate progress monetizing portfolio investments. Blackstone funds set to exit ZO Skin Health in $1.5 billion Galderma deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Joseph Baratta plans to resign from Blackstone’s board at the end of 2026, resulting in a planned board reduction. The announcement does not indicate an operational change but may draw some investor attention because of Baratta’s senior role at the firm. Joseph Baratta to resign from Blackstone board at year-end
• Neutral Sentiment: Blackstone is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results on Oct. 22 before the market opens. Investors will focus on assets under management, fundraising, capital deployment, realizations and the effect of market volatility on performance fees. Blackstone’s Q3 Earnings on the Deck: What’s in Store for BX?
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect third-quarter earnings to decline despite growth in assets under management. Higher expenses, muted deal exits and weaker revenue could reduce the likelihood of an earnings beat, making the upcoming report a near-term risk for BX. Earnings Preview: Blackstone Inc. Q3 Earnings Expected to Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Blackstone’s fair-value assessment edged lower as analysts weighed softer realizations, while UBS Group also cut its price target. These revisions suggest concerns that slower exits and monetization could pressure near-term returns. Blackstone Stock Fair Value Edges Lower
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity was unusually elevated, with traders purchasing 22,725 BX put contracts, approximately 20% above typical put volume. While this is not definitive evidence of future performance, it reflects increased demand for downside protection or bearish exposure.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Blackstone from $114.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Blackstone from $161.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Blackstone from $146.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Blackstone in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $122.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, HSBC reissued a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Blackstone in a report on Monday, July 20th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $143.70.

Blackstone Stock Performance

Shares of BX opened at $106.47 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $128.21 and a 200-day moving average of $124.13. The company has a market cap of $79.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. Blackstone has a 1 year low of $101.73 and a 1 year high of $165.14.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $5.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. Blackstone had a net margin of 21.84% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.98 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Blackstone will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.29 per share. This represents a $5.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a boost from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio is presently 115.44%.

Blackstone Company Profile

Blackstone Inc (NYSE:BX) is a global alternative asset management firm that provides investment and advisory services to institutional investors, companies, and qualified individual investors. The company manages capital across private equity, real estate, credit and insurance, infrastructure, hedge fund solutions, secondaries, and growth-oriented investments.

Blackstone invests in and manages portfolios of businesses, properties, infrastructure assets, and credit instruments across a range of industries.