Aureus Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK)

Aureus Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) by 12.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 827 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in BlackRock were worth $785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 100.0% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 40 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 81.5% in the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 49 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.69% of the company’s stock.

BlackRock Stock Up 0.3 %

BLK opened at $1,022.80 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $994.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $888.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 5.06 and a current ratio of 5.06. The company has a market cap of $158.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.30. BlackRock, Inc. has a one year low of $742.22 and a one year high of $1,068.34.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 11th. The asset manager reported $11.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.42 by $1.04. BlackRock had a return on equity of 15.52% and a net margin of 31.37%. The business had revenue of $5.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $10.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that BlackRock, Inc. will post 43.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $5.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $20.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BLK. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,105.00 to $1,133.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com began coverage on BlackRock in a research note on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on BlackRock from $1,010.00 to $1,120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on BlackRock from $864.00 to $914.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,019.62.

BlackRock Profile

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.