BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) Shares Acquired by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 145,012 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,299 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.09% of BlackRock worth $148,656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLK. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in BlackRock during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in BlackRock during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 430 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $949.37, for a total transaction of $408,229.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,531,656.40. This trade represents a 10.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 20,430 shares of company stock worth $21,234,629 over the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

BlackRock Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:BLK opened at $947.45 on Tuesday. BlackRock, Inc. has a 12-month low of $745.55 and a 12-month high of $1,084.22. The company has a quick ratio of 5.23, a current ratio of 5.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $977.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $992.68.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 15th. The asset manager reported $11.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.52 by $0.41. BlackRock had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 31.21%. The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that BlackRock, Inc. will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $5.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. This is an increase from BlackRock’s previous quarterly dividend of $5.10. BlackRock’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on BLK shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,150.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on BlackRock from $1,215.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on BlackRock from $1,261.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,155.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,220.00 to $1,160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BlackRock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,120.67.

BlackRock Company 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.