BlackRock $BLK Shares Acquired by Smith Salley Wealth Management

Smith Salley Wealth Management lifted its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLKFree Report) by 21.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,695 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the period. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $4,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 450.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 22 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Garde Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 200.0% during the second quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 27 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in BlackRock by 107.1% during 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 period. Finally, Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in BlackRock by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 30 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackRock

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackRock this week:

BlackRock Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:BLK opened at $1,082.95 on Wednesday. BlackRock has a 1 year low of $773.74 and a 1 year high of $1,219.94. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,071.45 and a 200-day moving average of $1,097.15. 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 has a market cap of $168.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.85, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.47.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLKGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $6.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $11.46 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current year.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $5.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is currently 53.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on BLK. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,486.00 to $1,514.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on BlackRock from $1,390.00 to $1,322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,093.00 to $1,242.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target 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. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,316.18.

Get Our Latest Report on BLK

Insider Activity at BlackRock

In related news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director directly owned 7,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,394,113.20. This trade represents a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 value of $1,312,572.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 6,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,478,346.42. This trade represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

About BlackRock

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK)

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