Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Makes New $28.18 Million Investment in BlackRock $BLK

by · The Markets Daily

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 29,312 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $28,185,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter worth $33,847,000. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in BlackRock by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 920,578 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $985,331,000 after buying an additional 7,457 shares during the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in BlackRock by 30.7% in the 1st quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 4,861 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,675,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp. raised its holdings in BlackRock by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 5,764 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $6,169,000 after acquiring an additional 1,405 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in BlackRock by 94.6% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 26,828 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,720,000 after acquiring an additional 13,040 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,258.00 price target on shares of BlackRock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings cut BlackRock from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Bank of America increased their target price on BlackRock from $1,298.00 to $1,320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,383.00 to $1,488.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $1,311.06.

Read Our Latest Research Report on BlackRock

Key BlackRock News

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

BlackRock Stock Performance

NYSE BLK opened at $1,157.28 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,067.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,044.23. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $917.39 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94. 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 market capitalization of $179.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.42.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The asset manager reported $13.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.69 by $1.22. BlackRock had a net margin of 24.09% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $12.05 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that BlackRock will post 55.86 EPS for the current year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

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

BlackRock Company Profile

(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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