Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Stock

BlackRock (NYSE:BLKGet Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $1,240.00 to $1,275.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the asset manager’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target points to a potential upside of 25.29% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on BLK. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,181.00 to $1,313.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,310.00 to $1,340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of BlackRock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,273.06.

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BlackRock Stock Performance

NYSE:BLK opened at $1,017.67 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,034.44 and its 200 day moving average is $1,044.09. The firm has a market cap of $157.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.54, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.09. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $917.39 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLKGet Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $12.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.40 by $0.13. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.74% and a net margin of 24.40%.The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 53.45 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,056.60, for a total value of $9,233,627.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 210,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $222,082,527.60. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total value of $35,613,645.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 230,516 shares in the company, valued at $242,168,583.80. This trade represents a 12.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. RMG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Birchbrook Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

About BlackRock

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK)

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