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New York-based Blackstone Inc. (BX) is an alternative asset management firm specializing in private equity, real estate, hedge fund solutions, credit, secondary funds of funds, public debt and equity and multi-asset class strategies. Valued at $107.7 billion by market cap, the company typically invests in early-stage, seed, middle market, mature, late venture and later stage companies, and also provides capital markets services. The leading alternatives platform is expected to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings for 2025 before the market opens on Thursday, Apr. 17.
Ahead of the event, analysts expect BX to report a profit of $1.22 per share on a diluted basis, up 24.5% from $0.98 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company beat or matched the consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters while missing the forecast on another occasion.
For the full year, analysts expect BX to report EPS of $5.87, up 26.5% from $4.64 in fiscal 2024. Its EPS is expected to rise 21.6% year over year to $7.14 in fiscal 2026.
BX stock has outperformed the S&P 500’s ($SPX) 3.6% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares up 5.2% during this period. However, it underperformed the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLF) 14.5% gains over the same time frame.
The strong performance of BX can be attributed to robust capital inflows and capital appreciation, leading to significant increases in management and incentive fees.
On Jan. 30, BX shares closed down more than 4% after reporting its Q4 results. Its distributable EPS of $1.69 beat Wall Street expectations of $1.48. The company’s revenue stood at $3.1 billion, up 139.9% year over year.
Analysts’ consensus opinion on BX stock is reasonably bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Out of 22 analysts covering the stock, seven advise a “Strong Buy” rating, one suggests a “Moderate Buy,” 13 give a “Hold,” and one recommends a “Strong Sell.” BX’s average analyst price target is $182.85, indicating a potential upside of 37.4% from the current levels.
