California Public Employees Retirement System Has $316.45 Million Stock Position in BlackRock $BLK

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 5.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 271,427 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,490 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $316,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its position in BlackRock by 450.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in BlackRock by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 866.7% during the third quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,514.00 to $1,550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen lowered shares of BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,296.00 to $1,380.00 in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,308.89.

Trending Headlines about BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launch of iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) expands BlackRock’s crypto product lineup and produced a solid debut (~$15.5M day‑one volume), a positive revenue/flows catalyst if assets scale. BlackRock’s New Staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) Sees ‘Very, Very Solid’ $15.5 Million Debut, Says Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto market coverage notes whale ETH accumulation alongside the ETHB launch — bullish for BlackRock’s digital asset distribution and potential fee/flow growth. Ethereum (ETH) Sees Major Whale Buying as BlackRock Launches Staked ETF Product
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to BlackRock CIO calls (and related portfolio positioning) has helped lift some sector indices (clean energy) — indicative of the firm’s market influence and potential to drive ETF flows. Clean Energy Index Jumps 61% After BlackRock CIO’s Contrarian Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory disclosures show BlackRock holds ~10–11% capital/voting stakes in Qiagen — a standard large‑holder filing that is notable but not an immediate company revenue driver. BlackRock Reports 10.6% Capital and 11.8% Voting Stake in Qiagen
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock Canada announced index/methodology changes to three CAD‑hedged iShares funds — routine product updates with limited near‑term impact on BLK’s consolidated results. BlackRock® Canada Announces Product Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Private‑credit stress: reporting that Morgan Stanley and BlackRock capped/limited withdrawals in some private‑credit vehicles has pressured asset managers and sparked concerns about redemptions, markdowns and fee revenue risk. This is a near‑term negative for BLK if private‑credit flows and valuations deteriorate. Exclusive: Morgan Stanley and BlackRock limit withdrawals—is private credit gating a crisis or market ‘stabilizer’?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage highlights a BLK share pullback alongside weakness in private‑credit peers, signaling investor concern about the sector’s spillover to large asset managers. BlackRock Stock Slide As Private Credit Firms Tumble
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation alert: Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of BlackRock investors — potential legal/PR risk that could distract management and create uncertainty. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of BlackRock, Inc. – BLK

BlackRock Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $922.79 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1,075.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,092.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $773.74 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94. The company has a market capitalization of $143.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.80 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 22.93% and a return on equity of 14.78%. BlackRock’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.93 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BlackRock news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 385 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,084.91, for a total transaction of $417,690.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,618,174.85. This represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 27,047 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,171.14, for a total transaction of $31,675,823.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,363,724.98. This represents a 71.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 111,319 shares of company stock worth $123,999,249 in the last quarter. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.