On Friday, TD Cowen adjusted its outlook on The Blackstone Group (NYSE: NYSE:BX) shares, raising the investment firm's price target to $120 from the previous $114, while maintaining a Hold rating on the stock. The revision follows Blackstone's second-quarter earnings call, which took place on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
The firm's analyst cited increased optimism regarding Blackstone's organic growth potential, highlighting anticipated benefits from flagship fundraising efforts set to commence next year.
Additionally, the analyst expects gains from the expansion in retail, credit/insurance, and real assets sectors. These factors contribute to a projected long-term net new asset annual organic growth rate (LT NNA AOGR) of 4.5% for 2025, an increase of 60 basis points.
Despite the positive outlook on organic growth, the firm has slightly lowered its distributable earnings (DE) estimates for 2024 and 2025. This adjustment reflects Blackstone's second-quarter performance, which fell short of expectations, and anticipates lower future realized earnings (FRE) margins, even after accounting for flow adjustments.
The Hold rating remains in place as the firm balances its positive view on Blackstone's organic prospects against the recent earnings miss and the expectation of reduced margins. The new price target of $120 reflects these considerations, indicating a cautious but somewhat optimistic stance on the company's financial outlook.
In other recent news, Blackstone Group LP reported a 3% rise in second-quarter distributable earnings, amounting to $1.3 billion, driven by solid asset sales in its private equity and credit divisions. Despite a slight miss on the average analyst estimate for distributable earnings, several firms adjusted their price targets for Blackstone.
Piper Sandler and Evercore ISI, both maintaining an Overweight and Outperform rating respectively, raised their targets to $149 and $148. Citi, while keeping a Neutral rating, increased its target from $127 to $135, and Jefferies, sustaining a Buy rating, lowered its target from $145 to $138.
These adjustments follow recent developments at Blackstone. For instance, Anthony Viggiano, a former analyst with Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Blackstone Group Inc., was sentenced to 28 months in prison for insider trading.
In addition, Blackstone announced organizational changes to its business segments and sold Alinamin, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, to MBK Partners for approximately $2.17 billion, while retaining a minority stake in the company. All these factors contribute to the evolving financial landscape around Blackstone.
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