Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Holdings in Blackstone Inc. $BX

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,534 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 11,422 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Blackstone were worth $8,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BX. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 1.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,827,437 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $12,100,868,000 after buying an additional 1,335,060 shares during the last quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 16,035.1% in the third quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,140,264 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $194,746,000 after buying an additional 1,133,197 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Blackstone by 115.4% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,088,786 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $162,861,000 after buying an additional 583,384 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Blackstone by 11.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,107,665 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $701,795,000 after purchasing an additional 416,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Blackstone by 1.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 31,362,796 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,358,334,000 after purchasing an additional 412,281 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.00% of the company’s stock.

More Blackstone News

Here are the key news stories impacting Blackstone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on BX to $142 (from $122) while keeping a neutral rating — the raise signals incremental confidence in Blackstone’s near-term earnings/cash‑flow outlook and provides upside to the stock. MarketScreener: JPMorgan adjusts price target on Blackstone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks/Yahoo) expect Blackstone to report growing earnings next week and highlight factors that increase the likelihood of an earnings beat — stronger fee-related revenue and realized gains from investments. Earnings momentum is a primary driver for BX’s near‑term move. Yahoo: Blackstone earnings expected to grow
• Positive Sentiment: Blackstone shares rose after several major banks and asset managers reported better-than-expected Q1 results, which lifted sentiment across the alternatives/asset-management group and benefited BX as a large, diversified manager. Yahoo: Why Blackstone stock is trading up
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative valuation pieces (IX vs. BX) are drawing investor attention to relative value in the alternatives space; these analyses may shift some flows but don’t change Blackstone’s fundamentals immediately. Watch headlines comparing Orix (IX) and BX for possible rotation. Yahoo: IX or BX — Which is the better value?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary on peers (e.g., TPG) highlights sector volatility and valuation re-pricing; useful context but not an immediate negative for BX. Investors should focus on Blackstone’s own earnings and fee-related revenue. MarketBeat: TPG and alternatives industry review

Blackstone Stock Performance

NYSE BX opened at $129.05 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $95.78 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.80. Blackstone Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.73 and a 1-year high of $190.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $4.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.69 billion. Blackstone had a return on equity of 22.17% and a net margin of 20.89%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 41.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $1.49 dividend. This represents a $5.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. This is a boost from Blackstone’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.29. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Blackstone’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 153.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Blackstone from $164.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Blackstone from $126.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Blackstone in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $179.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on Blackstone from $171.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target on Blackstone from $158.00 to $138.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Bx Buzz Ml-1 Gp Llc sold 7,477,504 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.51, for a total transaction of $26,246,039.04. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,670.32. This trade represents a 99.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Holdings Iv Gp Mana Blackstone acquired 2,868,069 shares of Blackstone stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $26.15 per share, for a total transaction of $75,000,004.35. Following the transaction, the insider owned 18,628,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $487,129,914.25. This represents a 18.20% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Blackstone Profile

Blackstone Inc (NYSE: BX) is a global investment firm focused on alternative asset management. Founded in 1985 by Stephen A. Schwarzman and Peter G. Peterson and headquartered in New York City, the firm organizes and manages investment vehicles that acquire and operate businesses, real estate and credit investments, as well as provide hedge fund solutions and other alternative strategies for institutional and individual investors.

Blackstone’s business is organized around several principal investment platforms.