Groupe la Francaise Sells 11,379 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Groupe la Francaise cut its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 29.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,343 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 11,379 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $25,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BLK. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,062,677 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $15,051,846,000 after buying an additional 221,123 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,264,545 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $6,705,193,000 after purchasing an additional 33,752 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 5,190.3% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,490,422 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,876,618,000 after buying an additional 5,386,640 shares during the last quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 4.7% in the first quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 5,330,492 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $5,126,387,000 after buying an additional 237,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in BlackRock by 0.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,232,973 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,032,603,000 after purchasing an additional 35,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE BLK opened at $1,098.96 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1,031.62 and its 200-day moving average is $1,041.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.09 and a quick ratio of 4.09. BlackRock has a one year low of $917.39 and a one year high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.27, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.43.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $12.05 EPS. BlackRock’s revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that BlackRock will post 55.63 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BLK. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,389.00 target price on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BlackRock from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,238.00 to $1,105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,351.00 to $1,199.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,145.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,304.29.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta AI data-center venture: BlackRock and Meta Platforms announced a roughly $14 billion, 1-gigawatt data-center campus in El Paso, Texas. BlackRock-managed funds will hold about 80% of the venture, with Meta contributing assets and leasing capacity. The deal highlights BlackRock’s ability to deploy capital into large private-infrastructure projects and could generate management, financing and investment fees. Meta Launches $14 Billion Texas AI Data Center Campus With BlackRock
• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly results remain a tailwind: BlackRock recently reported adjusted earnings of $13.91 per share versus the $12.69 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 30.6% year over year to $7.08 billion. The results reinforce investor confidence in its operating momentum and diversified asset-gathering model.
• Positive Sentiment: Broader technology and alternative-asset exposure: Recent disclosures show BlackRock-managed funds holding significant stakes in companies including Keel Infrastructure and IonQ. While these are generally portfolio holdings rather than direct corporate investments, they reinforce the firm’s exposure to fast-growing AI, data-center and quantum-computing themes. KEEL BlackRock Stake Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Expansion into alternative assets: BlackRock-affiliated funds are collaborating on the more-than-$600 million purchase of Anthem Entertainment’s music catalogs, adding another example of the firm’s push into specialized private assets. The transaction is strategically consistent with that expansion, but its near-term earnings impact is unclear. Influence Media Anthem Catalog Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and market risks remain: A law firm announced an investigation involving BlackRock mutual funds, although the notice contains allegations rather than established wrongdoing. Separately, pressure in U.S. private credit and uncertainty about Federal Reserve policy could weigh on fundraising, valuations and investor sentiment. Rosen BlackRock Mutual Fund Investigation

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.