Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Boosts Stake in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its position in Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX - Free Report) by 556.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,819 shares of the asset manager's stock after acquiring an additional 7,475 shares during the period. Blackstone accounts for about 0.6% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings in Blackstone were worth $1,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BX. Bangor Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Blackstone by 187.5% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 161 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in Blackstone during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Blackstone in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Blackstone during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 70.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Blackstone Price Performance

Shares of BX stock traded down $1.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $126.11. The company had a trading volume of 2,759,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,670,193. The stock's 50-day moving average is $149.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.61. Blackstone Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.66 and a 52 week high of $200.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

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Blackstone (NYSE:BX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.19. Blackstone had a return on equity of 19.58% and a net margin of 20.99%. As a group, analysts predict that Blackstone Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is a boost from Blackstone's previous quarterly dividend of $0.86. This represents a $5.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.57%. Blackstone's dividend payout ratio is currently 158.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Blackstone from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Blackstone from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $186.00 to $129.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Blackstone from $190.00 to $137.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JMP Securities raised shares of Blackstone from a "market perform" rating to a "market outperform" rating and set a $165.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Blackstone currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $157.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ruth Porat bought 301 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $164.85 per share, for a total transaction of $49,619.85. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 36,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,071,260.65. This trade represents a 0.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Blackstone Company Profile

Blackstone Inc is an alternative asset management firm specializing in real estate, private equity, hedge fund solutions, credit, secondary funds of funds, public debt and equity and multi-asset class strategies. The firm typically invests in early-stage companies. It also provide capital markets services.