BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,019.62.

A number of analysts have weighed in on BLK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on BlackRock from $864.00 to $914.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays lifted their price objective on BlackRock from $1,010.00 to $1,120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on BlackRock from $1,105.00 to $1,133.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on BlackRock from $1,040.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock.

BlackRock Price Performance

BlackRock stock traded down $4.97 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1,031.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,461,963 shares, compared to its average volume of 579,282. The company has a quick ratio of 5.06, a current ratio of 5.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $159.76 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $984.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $880.90. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $724.54 and a 12 month high of $1,068.34.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 11th. The asset manager reported $11.46 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $5.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $10.91 earnings per share. BlackRock's quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 43.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $5.10 dividend. This represents a $20.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In related news, Director Mark Wiedman sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $900.00, for a total transaction of $10,800,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,480 shares in the company, valued at $5,832,000. This trade represents a 64.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BlackRock

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in BlackRock in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in BlackRock in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in BlackRock during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in BlackRock by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 40 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 81.5% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 49 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.