BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.61 EPS

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $12.55 by $0.61, Zacks reports. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.80% and a net margin of 26.64%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $11.93 earnings per share.

BlackRock Price Performance

BLK opened at $1,092.36 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.09, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,068.41 and a 200-day moving average of $1,103.49. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. BlackRock has a 12-month low of $773.74 and a 12-month high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $5.21 per share. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. BlackRock’s payout ratio is 53.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at $6,478,346.42. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BlackRock

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in BlackRock by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter worth $259,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter worth $548,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth $98,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record AUM and huge inflows — BlackRock said assets under management hit a record $14 trillion with a one‑quarter net inflow of roughly $698 billion, a powerful signal of client demand that supports fee growth and long‑term earnings. BlackRock assets surge to $14 trillion
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and buyback boost — management increased the dividend and authorized larger buybacks, returning capital to shareholders and supporting the stock’s valuation multiple. BlackRock Reports Record Inflows, Hikes Dividend and Buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Top‑line beat and ETF inflows — Q4 revenue topped estimates ($7.01B vs. ~$6.8B consensus) and inflows into product suites (including spot Bitcoin ETFs like IBIT) helped AUM growth, reinforcing BlackRock’s scale advantage. Q4 revenue up but EPS miss
• Neutral Sentiment: Planned cost actions / job cuts — reports say BlackRock will cut roughly 250 roles as it re‑prioritizes; this could help margins over time but is a transitional item. BlackRock to Cut Around 250 Jobs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst updates mixed — some firms reaffirmed ratings but trimmed targets (TD Cowen hold with lowered PT), so street sentiment is cautiously constructive but not uniformly bullish. Analyst coverage / TD Cowen
• Neutral Sentiment: Official earnings release and investor call scheduled — management commentary on product mix, margins and buybacks will be key for forward guidance. BlackRock Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and EPS weakness — net income and operating profit fell sharply (net income down ~33% YoY; diluted EPS materially below last year), and cost of sales grew faster than revenue, pressuring margins. WSJ: Profit Fell, Assets Hit Record
• Negative Sentiment: Weak operating cash flow and balance‑sheet trends — operating cash fell and cash balances declined year‑over‑year, which raises short‑term free‑cash‑flow and funding questions despite buybacks. QuiverQuant: Cash flow weak
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling noted — recent SEC filings show heavy insider sales over the last 6 months, which investors may view as a negative signal. Insider trading details

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BLK shares. Cowen lowered shares of BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,093.00 to $1,242.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on BlackRock from $1,196.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $1,305.00 to $1,298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,303.71.

BlackRock Company 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.