EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in BlackRock $BLK

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 77,619 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $74,635,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC owned about 0.05% of BlackRock at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BLK. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $183,000. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,364,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in BlackRock in the second quarter worth $27,016,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter worth $8,228,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in BlackRock during the second quarter valued at $313,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Stock Performance

BLK stock opened at $1,157.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,067.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,044.23. BlackRock has a twelve month low of $917.39 and a twelve month high of $1,219.94. The firm has a market cap of $179.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.42.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $12.69 by $1.22. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 24.09%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $12.05 earnings per share. Analysts predict that BlackRock will post 55.64 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $5.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BLK. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,389.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,270.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BlackRock from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, BlackRock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,311.06.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Bitcoin ETF demand could support fee revenue. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust led recent U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows, including $284.7 million in one session and $588.5 million over three days. Continued cryptocurrency demand could increase assets under management and fee income. Bitcoin ETF Inflows Hit $517M While BTC Tests Key Resistance
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal is drawing investor attention. A recent analysis describes BlackRock as an attractive dividend stock, reinforcing the company’s appeal to income-oriented investors after its latest quarter exceeded expectations on both earnings and revenue. Why BlackRock Is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock continues deploying capital and expanding alternative-asset exposure. The firm and Oaktree seized debt-laden movie servicer MBS, highlighting potential opportunities in distressed and private credit markets, though such investments also carry execution risk. BlackRock, Oaktree Seize Debt-Laden Movie Servicer MBS
• Neutral Sentiment: Large Qiagen stake creates potential strategic upside but adds concentration risk. Dutch regulatory filings show BlackRock owns roughly 11.5% of Qiagen’s capital and more than 12% of its voting rights. The holding demonstrates significant investment activity, but the filings do not indicate a change in BlackRock’s operating outlook. BlackRock Reveals Stake in Qiagen
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm’s investigation remains an overhang. Rosen Law Firm is seeking investors who may have suffered losses in BlackRock mutual funds amid allegations that business information was materially misleading. This is only an investigation announcement, not a finding of wrongdoing, but it could create reputational and legal risk. BlackRock Investor News

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.