First Trust Advisors LP Sells 82,365 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 36.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 142,210 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 82,365 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $136,764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Birchbrook Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in BlackRock in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 34 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE BLK opened at $1,039.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $161.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.43. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $917.39 and a 12 month high of $1,219.94. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,030.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,041.96. The company has a current ratio of 4.09, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid a $5.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $22.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is 54.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,258.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America lifted their target price on BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded BlackRock from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $1,165.00 to $1,364.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,340.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $1,304.29.

More BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, is leading a rebound in Bitcoin ETF flows, with inflows extending to seven straight days and nearly $1 billion returning to the category. That supports sentiment around BlackRock’s fast-growing ETF business. BlackRock’s IBIT Leads Nearly $1B Bitcoin ETF Recovery as Inflows Hit 7 Straight Days
• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock also gained attention for joining Strategy, Coinbase, and others in a $15 million Bitcoin security consortium aimed at funding quantum-resistant protections for the network, reinforcing its role as a major institutional player in crypto infrastructure. BlackRock, Coinbase and Strategy Pledge $15M to Quantum-Proof Bitcoin
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to lean into large-scale infrastructure finance, including reports that BlackRock is helping fund Meta’s data-center buildout and that its Global Infrastructure Partners unit is exploring securitization tied to private capital stakes, which highlights fee-generating opportunities in private markets and AI-related investing. BlackRock Leads $12B Meta Data Center Debt, Buys Aligned
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock declared a quarterly dividend of $5.73 per share, which underscores steady cash generation and may attract income-focused investors, but is not a major new growth catalyst. BlackRock Declares Quarterly Dividend of $5.73 on Common Stock
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm announced an investigation into potential securities claims involving BlackRock mutual funds, which could create legal overhang and weigh on sentiment if the probe gains traction. BlackRock Investor News: If You Have Suffered Losses in BlackRock, Inc. Mutual Funds, You Are Encouraged to Contact The Rosen Law Firm About Your Rights

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other BlackRock news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 33,900 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,050.55, for a total transaction of $35,613,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 230,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $242,168,583.80. The trade was a 12.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Robert Kapito sold 8,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the president owned 210,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $222,082,527.60. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.92% of the company’s stock.

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.