Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in BlackRock $BLK

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) by 21.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,983 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,326 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $47,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in BlackRock by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in BlackRock by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 619 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $650,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,383 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 44.8% during the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,308 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,520,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BLK shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,456.00 to $1,464.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of BlackRock from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Cowen lowered BlackRock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of BlackRock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,244.00 to $1,267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,314.71.

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,043.38, for a total transaction of $1,312,572.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This trade represents a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

BlackRock Price Performance

NYSE BLK opened at $1,164.72 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,071.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,105.02. BlackRock has a 52 week low of $773.74 and a 52 week high of $1,219.94. The stock has a market cap of $180.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $13.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.55 by $0.61. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.14% and a net margin of 22.93%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $11.93 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 47.41 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $5.73 per share. This is a boost from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.21. This represents a $22.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.84%.

Key BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and shareholder returns — BlackRock reported Q4 revenue and EPS above estimates, reached a record $14.04T AUM, raised the quarterly dividend 10% and authorized new buybacks, which supports cash returns and long‑term fee growth. BlackRock Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Record inflows driven by ETFs and cash products — Strong ETF and money‑market inflows pushed AUM higher and boosted fee revenue, underpinning near‑term growth momentum. BlackRock Earnings: Company Hits Record $14 Trillion in Assets Behind Strong ETF Flows
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI/Microsoft partnership funding — BlackRock said its AI‑infrastructure partnership with Microsoft has raised ~$12.5B toward a $30B target, highlighting new product and infrastructure initiatives that could produce fee opportunities. BlackRock Says AI Partnership Raises $12.5 Billion Toward $30 Billion Goal
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst stance — Several firms reiterated or raised targets after the results, including Morgan Stanley’s Overweight view with a high price target that signals substantial upside from current levels. BlackRock: Compounding Secular Growth at a Discounted Valuation Supports Overweight Rating and 34% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational change: ETF listings move — BlackRock will move four iShares money‑market/short‑duration ETFs to the NYSE in February; operationally minor but relevant for ETF market structure and liquidity. BlackRock to Change Primary Listing Venue for Four iShares ETFs
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic investments and private markets push — BlackRock outlined an ambitious plan to raise large private‑market pools and is pursuing deals (including a reported $333.6M commitment in India’s Aditya Birla renewables), signaling long‑term diversification but with longer realization timelines. Building ‘The Machine’: How BlackRock Plans To Raise $400B And Democratize Private Market Investing
• Negative Sentiment: Profit and margin pressure — Despite EPS and revenue beats, reported net income fell significantly year‑over‑year and operating profit showed pressure (per coverage), a reminder that earnings quality and cash generation face near‑term headwinds. BlackRock’s Profit Fell, Assets Hit Record $14 Trillion, in Fourth Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves and a few downgrades — Some shops trimmed targets (Evercore, BMO) and TD Cowen issued a downgrade, creating short‑term analyst chatter and potential volatility despite overall constructive sentiment from other firms. Evercore ISI Lowers Price Target on BlackRock to $1,275

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.