Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Sells 836 Shares of BlackRock $BLK

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lowered its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,306 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 836 shares during the quarter. BlackRock makes up about 1.8% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $9,684,000 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 stake in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in BlackRock by 200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 107.1% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 29 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE BLK opened at $1,085.06 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $1,067.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,101.63. BlackRock has a one year low of $773.74 and a one year high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 3.33. The firm has a market cap of $168.35 billion, a PE ratio of 27.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.47.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.78 by ($0.23). BlackRock had a net margin of 26.64% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The company had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $11.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total value of $1,312,572.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,478,346.42. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total transaction of $13,980,480.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. This represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on BLK. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,180.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,305.00 to $1,298.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,313.12.

BlackRock News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BlackRock and others see a big potential expansion in retail access to crypto, which supports future ETF/net‑new‑asset upside if Main Street demand grows. BlackRock predicts major shift in retail investors’ access to cryptocurrencies
• Positive Sentiment: Tokenization adoption: Jupiter launched JupUSD with reserves tied to BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund — a sign BlackRock-backed institutional assets are being used in on‑chain products, which could broaden distribution and fees long term. Jupiter Exchange Launches JupUSD Stablecoin with BlackRock-Backed Reserves
• Positive Sentiment: Company clarification: BlackRock publicly reiterated it does not buy single‑family homes after a Trump proposal sparked market confusion — the clarification reduces an ongoing reputational/regulatory overhang for the firm. EXCLUSIVE: BlackRock Says It Does Not Buy Single-Family Homes After Trump Proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: Governance/leadership attention: BlackRock’s Rick Rieder was asked about being on a short list for Fed Chair — raises headlines but uncertain impact on firm fundamentals; investors may watch for potential conflicts or time distractions if the story develops. BlackRock’s Rieder Reacts to Being Considered for Fed Chair
• Neutral Sentiment: BlackRock crypto leadership: senior ETF executives said it’s still “very early days” for Bitcoin/Ethereum adoption — tempered optimism that supports a measured, long‑run view on crypto AUM. BlackRock ETF Chief Says ‘Still Very Early Days’ For Bitcoin, Ethereum
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor ownership update: BlackRock reduced its stake in Finland’s Orion below the 5% disclosure threshold — routine portfolio move, limited impact on BLK fundamentals. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)
• Negative Sentiment: Large crypto flows/signals: multiple outlets reported BlackRock moved sizable BTC/ETH to Coinbase Prime (and some headlines framed it as “dumping” ~$276M BTC and ~$83M ETH), which can spook investors about crypto exposure and short‑term ETF flows. BlackRock sends $276M in Bitcoin and $83M in Ethereum to Coinbase Prime
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/politics ripple: Trump’s housing proposal triggered market confusion and a selloff in some real‑estate/asset‑manager stocks (and headlines conflating BlackRock/Blackstone amplified volatility), pressuring sentiment toward BLK. Trump Targets Wall Street Homebuyers: Why BlackRock, Blackstone Are Feeling The Heat
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst tweak: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed BLK’s price target slightly (still an outperform rating) — a modest headwind for sentiment. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowers price target on BlackRock

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.