Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Takes $25.44 Million Position in BlackRock $BLK

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 26,460 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $25,443,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Birchbrook Inc. acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackRock Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of BLK opened at $1,157.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 3.59 and a quick ratio of 3.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,067.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,044.23. The stock has a market cap of $179.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42. BlackRock has a 1-year low of $917.39 and a 1-year high of $1,219.94.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued 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. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 24.09%.The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $12.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 55.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

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

Trending Headlines about 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BLK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of BlackRock from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research upgraded BlackRock from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,260.00 price objective on shares of BlackRock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $1,311.06.

BlackRock 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.