BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) Shares Acquired by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,429 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 1,963 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in BlackRock were worth $72,197,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in BlackRock in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in BlackRock during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the company's stock.

BlackRock Stock Up 2.7 %

BlackRock stock traded up $23.84 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $916.38. 619,669 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 684,785. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 5.23 and a current ratio of 5.23. The firm has a market cap of $142.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a fifty day moving average of $924.53 and a 200 day moving average of $983.94. BlackRock, Inc. has a 12-month low of $748.02 and a 12-month high of $1,084.22.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 11th. The asset manager reported $11.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.84 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.47 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 31.21%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.81 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that BlackRock, Inc. will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BlackRock Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $5.21 per share. This is a boost from BlackRock's previous quarterly dividend of $5.10. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $20.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. BlackRock's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on BLK shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $950.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on BlackRock from $1,275.00 to $1,124.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on BlackRock from $1,045.00 to $1,010.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on BlackRock from $1,200.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of BlackRock in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, BlackRock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,077.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

In other news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,072.64, for a total value of $10,726,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 68,433 shares of the company's stock, valued at $73,403,973.12. This trade represents a 12.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 12,430 shares of company stock worth $12,838,649 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

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.