BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,360.00 to $1,340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on BlackRock from $1,305.00 to $1,298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. UBS Group started coverage on BlackRock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,180.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BlackRock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,316.18.

BlackRock Price Performance

BlackRock stock opened at $1,075.62 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $166.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.47. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $773.74 and a 52-week 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,067.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,101.04.

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

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. The trade was a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Martin Small sold 1,258 shares of the company’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 directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BLK. Norges Bank purchased a new position in BlackRock in the second quarter worth $2,644,007,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 105,267.4% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,705,899 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,789,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,280 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of BlackRock by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,005,358 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,104,122,000 after purchasing an additional 842,901 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 1,962.0% in the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 792,494 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $831,524,000 after buying an additional 754,060 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in BlackRock by 217.5% during the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 619,492 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $722,247,000 after buying an additional 424,388 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

More BlackRock News

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large Bitcoin-ETF inflows lift BlackRock’s crypto franchise — Bitcoin ETFs saw about $697M of net inflows in one day, with BlackRock’s IBIT leading (~$372M). That boosts fee-generating AUM and supports BLK’s ETF growth narrative. Bitcoin ETFs Add $697M in One Day as BlackRock and Fidelity Top Inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect another earnings beat — Zacks highlights BlackRock’s history of earnings surprises and argues BLK is positioned to top estimates again, a potential catalyst for upside when results are reported. Why BlackRock (BLK) is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary underscores disciplined positioning — CIO Rick Rieder warns against speculative risk and emphasizes active, selective positioning for 2026, reinforcing confidence in BlackRock’s fixed-income/asset-allocation leadership. ‘2026 Is a Market for Investors, Not Gamblers,’ Says BlackRock’s Rick Rieder
• Neutral Sentiment: Jupiter Exchange launches JupUSD with reserves tied to BlackRock’s BUIDL fund — signals growing third‑party use of BlackRock-linked collateral in crypto products, but limited direct fee/AUM impact for BLK today. Jupiter Exchange Launches JupUSD Stablecoin with BlackRock-Backed Reserves
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio activity: BlackRock increases stake in OMV — a disclosure that shows active equity allocation changes but is not material to BLK’s core revenue drivers. BlackRock Increases Stake in OMV Above 4% Voting Rights Threshold
• Neutral Sentiment: Fund-level commentary and commodity views — BlackRock international fund notes and management comments on copper/commodities are informative for strategy but have limited immediate impact on BLK’s share moves. BlackRock International Fund Q3 2025 Commentary BlackRock Sees Prospect of ‘Very Exciting’ Copper Market
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term shareholding swings in Orion — regulatory filings show BlackRock’s reported position in Orion crossed above 5% and then fell below 5% within days; such rapid position changes can signal portfolio rebalancing or realized selling that may weigh on sentiment. Orion Corporation: Disclosure Under Chapter 9 Section 10 of the Securities Market Act (BlackRock, Inc.)

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.