Will BLK's Private Markets Push Continue in 2025? Let's Find Out

BlackRock’s BLK shares are in the spotlight as the company continues expanding its presence in the lucrative private markets through acquisitions. On Wednesday, the stock touched its all-time high of $1,082.45. 

This year, BLK stock has gained 31.3%. In the same timeframe, the Zacks Investment Management industry and the S&P 500 Index have rallied 51.8% and 28.6%, respectively.

Year-to-Date Price Performance
 

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Acquisitions Driving BlackRock’s Private Markets Push

BlackRock has been on a buyout spree this year. Earlier this month, in a third major deal to bolster the company's presence in private markets, it signed an agreement to acquire HPS Investment Partners for about $12 billion. In October, the company closed the acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners (“GIP”), a leading global independent infrastructure manager. The deal was announced in January. 

To complement the GIP deal, in June, BLK signed an agreement to acquire London-based Preqin, a premier provider of private markets data. The company spent approximately $28 billion to strengthen its private markets offerings this year. 

These acquisitions represent a strategic expansion of BlackRock’s Aladdin technology business into the rapidly growing private markets data segment. 

Separately, in May, BlackRock acquired SpiderRock Advisors LLC, a leading provider of option overlay-based strategies for separately managed accounts (SMAs). This complements the Aperio acquisition, executed in 2021, further expanding the SMA offerings to fulfill unique client requirements.

Blackrock’s Efforts to Strengthen iShares and ETF Operations

BlackRock’s broad product diversification, revenue mix and steadily improving assets under management (AUM) balance are expected to continue boosting the top line. The company’s inorganic growth strategy has also contributed to AUM's growth. AUM witnessed a five-year (2018-2023) CAGR of 10.9%. 

Over the same period, the company’s revenues (on a GAAP basis) witnessed a CAGR of 4.7%. The uptrend will likely continue as the company’s efforts to strengthen iShares and ETF operations (it received approval for spot Bitcoin and ether ETFs) and increased focus on the active equity business are expected to offer support.

Sales Estimates
 

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Further, the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts complement BlackRock’s organic growth strategy of raising its AUM through diversified offerings and a strong revenue mix. Also, the recent post-election surge in enthusiasm for Bitcoin is immensely benefiting the company. The recent inflows into the company’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund have pushed iShares Bitcoin Trust past $40 billion in assets in just 10 months following its launch in mid-January.

Analyst Sentiments Bullish for BLK

Analysts seem to be bullish about BlackRock’s prospects. The company is witnessing northbound earnings estimate revisions for the current and the next year. These upward adjustments reflect a positive sentiment among analysts and suggest encouraging prospects. 

Earnings Estimates
 

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Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

BlackRock Stock Overvalued

Given the huge rally in BLK shares, it appears expensive relative to the industry. The stock is currently trading at the forward 12-month price/earnings (P/E) of 22.27X. This is above the industry’s 19.18X, reflecting a stretched valuation.

Price-to-Earnings F12M
 

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How to Play BLK Stock as Private Markets Expansion Continues?

Per BlackRock’s updated projections, the global private credit market is valued at $1.5 trillion and is expected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2030.

Private Credit AUM by 2030 
 

Image Source: BlackRock, Inc.

Once the HPS Investment deal wraps up in mid-2025, the company is expected to manage almost $220 billion in private credit assets. Many of BlackRock's competitors in the alternative asset management business, like Apollo Global Management APO, Blackstone BX and Ares Management ARES, have made more significant strides in private markets. As of Sept. 30, 2024, Apollo managed $598 billion in credit assets, while Ares oversaw $335 billion. Additionally, Blackstone managed a total of $432 billion across its extensive credit platform as of the same date.

By tapping into this market, BLK intends to unlock significant growth potential and provide unparalleled data and analytics solutions. The integration is expected to generate solid revenues as the company combines HPS Investment, Preqin and GIP data with its alternative asset management platform, eFront, which facilitates the creation, management and monitoring of alternative asset portfolios.

BlackRock’s strong balance sheet, solid AUM balance and strategic expansion and collaborative efforts provide a strong foundation for growth. Moreover, as the Fed lowers interest rates, it will reinforce the company’s efforts to improve its AUM through product diversification.

However, investors should be cautious about BlackRock’s lofty valuation and keep an eye on how the company’s private markets bet payoffs over time. BLK currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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