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. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.

BlackRock looks like a high-quality but already expensive business: the fundamentals are strong, while the valuation is noticeably ahead of the industry. Profitability is high: ROA of 3.88%, ROE of 11.61%, and ROI of 11.55% look solid, while an operating margin of 32.57% and a net margin of 24.09% confirm an efficient business model. Revenue, operating profit, and net income have generally increased year over year, and assets and equity are also growing, which supports long-term resilience. Leverage is moderate: debt/equity of 0.33 is below the industry median, and the current ratio of 3.59 is comfortable, although the quick ratio is zero, which requires caution in interpretation for a financial company. The company’s strength lies in the steady growth of its business scale and the high quality of earnings with controlled debt. The weakness is that the valuation multiples remain very high: P/E of 22.92, P/S of 6.94, P/B of 3.10, and especially P/FCF of 52.94 are significantly above industry medians, which limits further re-rating potential. The trend in valuation multiples does not provide a clear signal for additional multiple expansion: P/E and P/S show normalization from higher levels, but the absolute values still require a premium to the industry. The dividend yield of 0.52% is modest and does not show convincing improvement over the year, so the dividend factor does not add a strong argument for a higher valuation. EPS and forward EPS remain strong and support the earnings quality thesis, but the market has already priced this in. Overall, the fundamentals more likely justify a premium valuation than an aggressive increase in the target price. Therefore, the adjustment should be moderately negative: the business is solid, but the current price already reflects a significant portion of its strengths.

BlackRock, Inc.

Сильный индекс, значительно вырос. Быки крепко уверены в своих позициях.

Strong index, significantly up. The bulls are very confident in their positions.

Слабый индекс, незначительно вырос. Рынок не поддерживает быков.

Weak index, slightly up. The market does not support the bulls.

Сильный индекс, значительно упал. Отток средств из лонгов резко увеличился и находится на высоком уровне.

Strong index, significantly down. The outflow of funds from longs has increased sharply and is at a high level.

BlackRock has strong profitability and moderate debt, but very high valuation multiples and weak dividend yield limit the potential for further expansion in its valuation.

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLF) where we have detected an approximate $524.0 million dollar outflow -- that's a 1.0% decrease week over week (from 948,995,427 to 939,645,427). Among the largest underlying components of XLF, in trading today Wells Fargo & Co (Symbol: WFC) is up about 0.6%, American Express Co. (Symbol: AXP) is up about 0.4%, and Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK) is lower by about 0.6%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the XLF Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of XLF, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, XLF's low point in its 52 week range is $47.67 per share, with $58.60 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $56.36. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ».
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs.
Further XLF Research:

State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF Experiences Big Outflow

BlackRock (BLK) came out with quarterly earnings of $15.93 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $13.97 per share. This compares to earnings of $11.55 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +14.03%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this investment firm would post earnings of $12.67 per share when it actually produced earnings of $13.91, delivering a surprise of +9.79%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
BlackRock, which belongs to the Zacks Financial - Investment Management industry, posted revenues of $7.75 billion for the quarter ended September 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.96%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $6.51 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
BlackRock shares have lost about 0.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 14%.
What's Next for BlackRock?
While BlackRock has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for BlackRock was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $15.12 on $7.9 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $55.70 on $28.72 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Financial - Investment Management is currently in the bottom 39% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Another stock from the same industry, Invesco (IVZ), has yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2026. The results are expected to be released on October 27.
This investment management company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.75 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +23%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.5% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
Invesco's revenues are expected to be $1.39 billion, up 17.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in BlackRock (BLK)?
Before you invest in BlackRock (BLK), want to know the best stocks to buy for the next 30 days? Check out Zacks Investment Research for our free report on the 7 best stocks to buy.
Zacks Investment Research has been committed to providing investors with tools and independent research since 1978. For more than a quarter century, the Zacks Rank stock-rating system has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.08% per year. (These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through May 6, 2024.)
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BlackRock (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

BlackRock (BLK) Tops Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Key Points
Of the top 20 spot crypto ETFs, 12 are dedicated to Bitcoin and six to Ethereum.
Bitcoin has the properties of both a risk-on and a risk-off asset, making it a unique portfolio diversifier.
Ethereum gives investors exposure to the fastest-growing areas of DeFi, including stablecoins and asset tokenization.
There are tens of thousands of different cryptocurrencies to choose from, but from the perspective of Wall Street and institutional investors, there are only two: Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH).
Of the top 20 spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as ranked by assets under management (AUM), 12 are dedicated to Bitcoin, and six are dedicated to Ethereum. The only other cryptocurrency that makes an appearance in the top 20 is Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), with two spot crypto ETFs.
Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Bitcoin is by far the most dominant cryptocurrency by market cap, accounting for almost 60% of the crypto market's total value. So it's no surprise that Bitcoin ETFs lead the way in terms of how much money they have attracted from investors.
The clear leader among Bitcoin ETFs is the iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ: IBIT), with about $70 billion in assets under management. Overall, seven of the top 10 ETFs are Bitcoin-related, giving investors plenty of options to gain exposure to Bitcoin.
So why is Bitcoin so popular? The answer is easy: Bitcoin is the rare asset that offers a mix of upside potential combined with downside protection. For good reason, asset management giant BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) has referred to Bitcoin as a unique portfolio diversifier. Bitcoin has the properties of both a risk-on and a risk-off asset, making it truly distinctive in the investment world.
For much of the past decade, Bitcoin has been the top-performing asset in the world. A decade ago, Bitcoin traded at just $600. Today, it trades at $85,000. And just last year, Bitcoin rose as high as $126,000. So it's not overstating matters to say that Bitcoin has truly exponential upside potential.
Even better, Bitcoin has historically been uncorrelated with any major asset class. That's a key factor to keep in mind when diversifying a portfolio. The last thing that you want to do is put all your eggs in one basket, and Bitcoin gives investors a way to avoid that. It can quite literally zig when other assets zag.
Ethereum
Ethereum is no slouch, either, for attracting investor inflows. Four Ethereum ETFs, led by the iShares Ethereum Trust (NASDAQ: ETHA), now rank among the top 10 spot crypto ETFs.
Due to its prowess in decentralized finance (DeFi), Ethereum has become the go-to blockchain for Wall Street investors when launching new projects. In fact, Tom Lee, chairman of Ethereum treasury company Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR), refers to the crypto as the "preferred choice for Wall Street," due to its well-developed DeFi ecosystem.
Among fast-growing areas of DeFi, such as asset tokenization (in which ownership of assets such as stocks and bonds is converted into crypto) and stablecoins, Ethereum is the clear leader. That sets Ethereum up well for future growth and gives institutional investors an easy way to gain exposure to the future of blockchain finance.
Although Ethereum has historically played second fiddle to Bitcoin in market performance, there have been brief periods when Ethereum has outpaced Bitcoin.
For example, during the first DeFi boom of 2020-2021, Ethereum clearly outperformed Bitcoin. In 2020, Ethereum was up 472%, while Bitcoin gained 304%. In 2021, Ethereum skyrocketed by 395%, while Bitcoin rose only 59%.
Other cryptocurrencies to watch
In addition to Bitcoin and Ethereum, a handful of other cryptocurrencies now have spot crypto ETFs. Chief among them are Solana and XRP (CRYPTO: XRP). The latest addition to the mix is Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC), which has already attracted $500 million in investor capital via the new Grayscale ZCash ETF (NYSEMKT: ZCSH).
But here's the thing: None of these cryptocurrencies even comes close to Bitcoin and Ethereum in terms of the money and attention that they command from Wall Street. Although $500 million is a big number, it's nowhere near the $100 billion that the Bitcoin ETFs pulled in during their first 12 months.
If you're thinking of adding crypto to your overall portfolio, the clear starting point is Bitcoin. If you're looking to diversify beyond Bitcoin, then the next obvious target should be Ethereum.
Should you buy stock in Bitcoin right now?
Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $383,680!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,382,954!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 937% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2026.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, BlackRock, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and iShares Bitcoin Trust. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

These Cryptocurrencies Have Become Wall Street Favorites and Deserve a Place in Your Portfolio

Key Points
Bitcoin’s ETFs drew in record inflows last week.
That institutional confidence suggests brighter days are ahead.
Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) U.S. spot price exchange-traded funds (ETFs) drew in $2.39 billion in inflows for the week ending on Sept. 25. That marked Bitcoin's biggest ETF inflows since the week ending on Oct. 10, 2025, when its weekly total reached $2.71 billion.
However, Bitcoin still ended the week at about $84,000. That was well below its record high of more than $126,000, which it reached on Oct. 6, 2025. Let's see why Bitcoin's ETFs are bouncing back -- and if that recovery suggests that Bitcoin will revisit its all-time highs.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Why is Bitcoin still below its all-time highs?
Bitcoin, along with the broader cryptocurrency market, remains under pressure as rising interest rates and Treasury yields drive investors toward more conservative investments. Bitcoin also faces competitive pressure from stablecoins, which are directly pegged to fiat currencies, and smaller, higher-growth altcoins with more exposure to decentralized applications. Some investors are also worried that quantum computers could eventually crack Bitcoin's private keys.
Why are Bitcoin's ETFs attracting more attention?
The rising inflows into Bitcoin ETFs indicate that large institutional investors -- including BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) and Fidelity -- are increasing their Bitcoin holdings. Those big investors invest in ETFs because they don't want to deal with crypto wallets and private keys.
Two potential catalysts could be fueling those institutional purchases. First, the U.S. national debt crossed $40 trillion for the first time in August. To pay the interest on that debt, the Fed will likely need to continue its expansionary monetary policy and devalue the U.S. dollar. To hedge against that debasement, institutional investors could buy more Bitcoin and gold.
Second, the fourth quarter is often a strong one for digital assets (even though September is historically the weakest month for stocks) as investors execute more aggressive trades into the end of the year. Therefore, institutional investors are likely increasing their exposure to Bitcoin before those tailwinds kick in. That's why Bitcoin's price still hasn't revisited its highs from last October, even as its ETFs attracted nearly as much attention.
Does that mean it's time to buy Bitcoin?
The buying spree in Bitcoin ETFs is a green flag for the world's top cryptocurrency, but it still needs to overcome some major near-term headwinds before it sets new record highs. If the Fed continues to raise interest rates, Treasury yields will likely rise, driving Bitcoin lower.
The lack of clearer regulations for the cryptocurrency market (as seen with the stalled CLARITY Act) could also keep more institutional investors on the sidelines. So while Bitcoin might soar higher over the long term, I wouldn't call its recent rebound a sustainable comeback yet.
Should you buy stock in Bitcoin right now?
Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $383,680!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,382,954!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 937% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 28, 2026.
Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and BlackRock. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Bitcoin ETFs Are Seeing Their Biggest Inflows Since October 2025. Is Bitcoin Finally Back?

Key Points
Money managers aren’t paid for performance, but rather, simply for overseeing investors’ assets.
The business is typically a high-margin one as well, supporting generous dividends.
One investment manager, in particular, consistently capitalizes on its sheer size.
Ever hear the phrase, "It takes money to make money?" It's often true, in the sense that you must put your own capital at risk if you want to grow it. But it's not true in all cases.
Take the asset management business as an example. Whether you're talking about hedge funds, mutual funds, or registered investment advisors managing individuals' money, these businesses generate revenue from money that's never actually owned -- just controlled -- by the people overseeing it.
Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
And there's one asset manager most investors are more familiar with than perhaps they even realize. That's BlackRock (NYSE: BLK). But is this publicly traded money manager one you'd want to buy and hold forever?
A closer look at BlackRock
You may or may not have heard the name. You've almost certainly heard of its primary profit center, however. Although it's not all that it is, BlackRock is the name behind the iShares family of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. As of the end of June, it was managing a world-leading $15.3 trillion worth of investors' assets, contributing to Q2 revenue of nearly $7.1 billion, almost $2 billion of which was converted into net income. Modest fees collected for management of these funds account for most of its top line.
There's an important detail about the business quietly buried in these results, too. That is, it's not performance-based. Money managers collect a quarterly fee regardless of how much money their clients make in any given quarter, or even if they lose money during that three-month stretch. Investment managers simply work to garner and then keep as much client money as possible, sometimes by minimizing losses more so than maximizing gains. And yes, there's often a lot of reminding investors to "think long-term" involved.
BlackRock is good at this aspect of the business, too. That's what its numbers indicate anyway. Just three years ago, it was overseeing only $9.4 trillion. While market gains certainly helped during this time, over the past 12 months, the company has experienced net cash inflows of $868 billion as investors seek the best way to allocate their capital.
A great lifetime pick
It's not a high-growth business. It's a high-margin one, though, and for BlackRock's shareholders in particular, net returns have been strong largely thanks to this stock's persistently big dividend growth. The current quarterly payment of $5.73 per share is 39% higher than the per-share payout of $4.13 five years ago, and 150% more than the $2.29 per share it was dishing out just 10 years ago.
It can easily afford these growing dividend payments, too. The company earned $12.19 per share during the second quarter ending in June, up nearly 20% year over year, and capping off a year-to-date bottom line of $26.25. It's a testament to how consistent -- and consistently profitable -- the asset management industry can be, especially when the manager's been around as long as BlackRock, and has figured out how to navigate the ever-evolving business.
More to the point (and in answer to the question), yes, a stake in BlackRock could indeed set you up for life, whether you plan on reinvesting its dividend payments or collecting and then using its cash payments.
Should you buy stock in BlackRock right now?
Before you buy stock in BlackRock, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and BlackRock wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $383,680!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,382,954!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 937% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 27, 2026.
James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

This Asset Manager Stock Gets Paid on Money It Never Owns. Could It Set You Up for Life?

Key Points
Ethereum is the world's largest platform for developing decentralized software applications, which are popular in industries like gaming and financial services.
Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies, thinks Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, Ether, is poised for a major gain.
Lee predicts Ether will eventually reach $250,000 per coin, but his forecast is a little self-serving.
Cryptocurrencies are experiencing a broad rally right now, but most of the industry's major coins are still down significantly from their all-time highs. Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, Ether (CRYPTO: ETH), is trading for almost $2,700 (as of Sept. 25), which is still 46% below last year's peak of $4,846.
But Tom Lee, Wall Street analyst and chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR), thinks investors should consider buying Ether. While speaking at the Proof of Talk conference back in June, he highlighted a series of tailwinds that could spark a rally to $250,000 per coin, representing an eye-popping 9,159% gain from its current price. He didn't provide a timeframe for his forecast, but will it ever become a reality?
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
How Ethereum works
Ethereum is a platform for developing decentralized software applications, which are increasingly popular in industries like gaming and financial services. Each app is governed by slivers of computer code called smart contracts that enforce its rules. Smart contracts live on the Ethereum blockchain and they typically can't be changed, so no person or entity can manipulate an app's core functions, ensuring it remains fully decentralized.
The Ethereum network is also fully decentralized. Thousands of nodes (computers) around the world store an updated copy of its blockchain, so the broader network won't be compromised even if some nodes experience an outage. As a result, Ethereum has maintained 100% uptime during the past decade. This wouldn't have been possible if the network was hosted in a single data center instead, because even the best infrastructure providers typically promise an uptime of just 99.9%.
Ether is the gas that keeps the network running. Whenever someone uses an Ethereum-based decentralized app, a smart contract is activated, and the person must pay a fee in Ether to cover computer processing costs. Therefore, demand for Ether increases organically as the network becomes more heavily used, which should lift the value of each coin.
Ethereum is entering a new era, driven by tokenization and artificial intelligence
In the past, Ethereum was mostly used to build cryptocurrency applications and create non-fungible tokens (NFTs), but Tom Lee thinks the platform is quickly maturing from those obscure use cases. He says it will gradually enter the mainstream economy where it will be used to build payment rails and even settlement infrastructure for transactions conducted by artificial intelligence (AI) agents, which can take actions with minimal human input.
Financial institutions like BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS Group have already launched tokenized investment funds that trade on Ethereum-based blockchains instead of traditional stock exchanges. Billions of dollars have flowed into these funds so far, which are used to buy secure assets like U.S. Treasury bonds.
Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD) built a Layer-2 blockchain on top of Ethereum called Robinhood Chain. The company is tokenizing real stocks to let clients trade popular securities like Nvidia and Tesla outside of regular market hours. To be clear, investors don't have legal ownership of the underlying stocks when they buy tokenized securities, but they still benefit from any potential upside in exactly the same way.
AI agents can also buy and sell tokenized securities on behalf of their human operators through Robinhood Chain, which could significantly boost transaction volumes in the long term. Speaking more broadly, these agents could eventually have their own money, and a trusted, secure, and decentralized network like Ethereum could be perfect for processing their transactions.
Is Lee's $250,000 target achievable?
A little more than 122 million Ether coins are in circulation as I write this, so at the current price of $2,700 per coin, the ecosystem has a market capitalization of $328 billion. Simple math suggests that a price of $250,000 per coin would result in a market cap of $30.5 trillion, which is almost equal to the output of the entire U.S. economy. It would also make Ethereum more than five times as valuable as the world's largest company, Nvidia, which is currently valued at $5.4 trillion.
If Ethereum eventually finds itself at the center of the financial system, then Lee's $250,000 price target might be achievable. However, despite growing adoption by major financial institutions, the network still has just 2.3 million daily active wallet addresses across its primary blockchain and all Layer-2 blockchains, which is down significantly from its peak of almost 4 million last year.
On a positive note, Robinhood Chain is experiencing a surge in adoption which could lift overall usage numbers. But generally speaking, it seems most consumers aren't very keen to participate in the tokenized economy just yet. I'm not sure what will convince them, but this presents a real challenge for Lee's $250,000 target.
It's important to remember that Lee is the chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies, which currently owns 6 million Ether coins, or nearly 5% of all circulating supply. The company's position is worth more than $16 billion, but that would grow to an eye-popping $1.5 trillion if Ether hits $250,000 per coin, so Lee's forecast is definitely a little self-serving.
Should you buy stock in Ethereum right now?
Before you buy stock in Ethereum, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Ethereum wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $383,680!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,382,954!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 937% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 27, 2026.
JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Anthony Di Pizio has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock, Ethereum, JPMorgan Chase, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

1 Popular Cryptocurrency to Buy Before It Soars by 9,159%, According to Bitmine's Tom Lee

Key Points
Beverage giant Coca-Cola is an income-growth juggernaut.
Real estate investment trust Realty Income may not bring a ton of price appreciation potential to the table, but its dividends make it worth considering.
Investment management giant BlackRock's track record of dividend hikes is one of the market’s best, making its relatively low starting yield worth accepting for long-term-minded investors.
For the first time since mid-2007, 10-year Treasury notes are yielding a head-turning 5%. Income investors who have held dividend stocks -- out of necessity -- for years now finally have a compelling alternative.
This begs the question: Which should an income-minded investor hold right now? As always, it depends. While "past performance is no guarantee of future results," a dividend stock's history can really help you make a smart choice.
Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
To this end, here's a closer look at three different S&P 500 dividend stocks to compare to 10-year Treasuries. Each one meets a very particular need in its own way that just might make it a better choice than government-issued securities.
1. Coca-Cola
You know the company. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is, of course, the parent of beverage brands like Minute Maid juices, Gold Peak teas, Powerade sports drinks, and Dasani water, as well as its namesake cola and an array of other soft drinks, just to name a few. This well-known, highly marketable mix is important, too. It means Coca-Cola always has something to meet consumers' ever-changing tastes. The company also enjoys the marketing leverage that comes with its sheer size.
The beverage behemoth's dividend history reflects its resilience. Not only has it paid one every quarter like clockwork for decades now, but it has raised its annual payouts for 64 consecutive years. That makes it a Dividend King -- one of just a few dozen companies that have raised their payouts annually for 50 years or more.
And that's the key reason to look past this stock's relatively low forward dividend yield of 2.4%. Its payout has grown a lot. The current quarterly payment of $0.53 per share is 51% higher than its payment of $0.35 per share 10 years ago. That's an inflation-beating annualized growth rate of 4.2%.
Perhaps in more tangible terms, a $10,000 investment in Coca-Cola back in 2016 that would have generated about $330 in dividend income that year would be producing right around $500 in annual dividend income this year. The stock itself has also more than doubled during the past decade. That's something else no bond could ever offer.
The key here is being willing to stick with Coca-Cola long enough for its slow-and-steady dividend hikes to compound. If you can't do that, the stock may or may not be a better option than a 10-year Treasury.
2. Realty Income
Realty Income (NYSE: O) shares aren't likely to give you the sort of capital appreciation that Coca-Cola can. With a forward dividend yield of 5.8%, however, (based on a dividend that's now been raised every year for the past 31 years, no less), it's still a better income bet right out of the gate than 10-year Treasuries are.
It's not a household name, but there's a pretty good chance you or someone living in your household regularly sets foot in one of its properties. Realty Income is a real estate investment trust (REIT), meaning it owns a portfolio of revenue-generating real estate and passes along the majority of its profits to shareholders every year before they're taxed at the corporate level.
Its specialty is brick-and-mortar retail, with top tenants including resilient names such as Dollar General, 7-Eleven, Walmart, and FedEx. While retailers in general may be suffering from the ever-intensifying competition from e-commerce, Realty Income's occupancy rate consistently hovers just under 99%.
However, there's something else besides this REIT's higher dividend yield that might make it a better option (for some investors) than Treasuries. That's the frequency with which it pays its dividends. Whereas Treasuries pay interest only every six months, Realty Income distributes its dividends monthly, aligning with how most people have to pay their bills.
Realty Income's quarterly per-share payment has grown from $0.202 10 years ago to $0.2715 per share now. That's an annualized growth rate of 3%, which may not be thrilling, but has at least kept up with average inflation... something Treasures' interest payments don't.
3. BlackRock
So what sort of income potential does asset manager BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) bring to the table?
The investment management industry is an interesting business. It seems like it should be performance-based, but it rarely is. Fund managers like BlackRock -- perhaps best known for its iShares family of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) -- typically charge a modest fee based on the amount of investor money under management, regardless of how well or poorly those funds perform. Asset managers just need to ensure they keep as much of investors' money under their management as possible.
And BlackRock does. Its second-quarter net inflows of $198 billion pumped up its assets under management to a hefty $15.3 trillion, inflating revenue by 31% year over year to nearly $7.1 billion, $2.9 billion of which was turned into net income... another fairly typical quarter. This persistent profit, of course, supports equally persistent dividend growth.
To this end, BlackRock has increased its dividend payout every year for the past 16 years, with a 17th hike right around the corner. And by more than a little. The current quarterly payment of $5.73 per share is 150% higher than the $2.29 per share it was dishing out a decade ago. That's annualized growth of 9.6%.
Granted, newcomers will be plugging into a meager forward dividend yield of only 2.2%. That's not much, and certainly less than you'd get from buying a 10-year Treasury yielding 5%.
Just take a step back and look at the longer-term picture. If the foreseeable future looks anything like the recent past, a $10,000 investment in BlackRock that might produce on the order of $220 this year could be generating around $550 in annual dividend income in 10 years. The shares have also delivered respectable (albeit somewhat erratic) long-term price appreciation.
Should you buy stock in Coca-Cola right now?
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James Brumley has positions in Coca-Cola. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock, Dollar General, Realty Income, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends FedEx. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Better Passive Income Opportunity: 10-Year Treasury Notes Yielding 5% or These 3 S&P 500 Dividend Stocks? History Offers a Clear Answer.

(RTTNews) - Scancell Holdings plc (SCLP.L) on Thursday announced it has entered into a loan agreement with funds and accounts managed by BlackRock for a debt facility of up to $25 million.
The financing follows Scancell's July 23, 2026, announcement of a planned merger with Neuphoria Therapeutics and associated financing to support the registrational Phase 3 study of iSCIB1+, along with a proposed Nasdaq listing.
The facility is available in four tranches. Scancell intends to initially draw $7 million, subject to shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
A further $8 million is expected to become available following completion of the planned U.S. listing transactions and the expected opening of the first Phase 3 clinical site.
The remaining tranche may be drawn through December 31, 2027, subject to a minimum equity fundraising threshold.
For the first three tranches, a portion of each tranche may be converted into ordinary shares at the lender's option, totalling up to $5 million.
The facility has an 18-month interest-only period, after which repayment will be made over 24 months.
If the company raises at least $100 million in cumulative equity funding, repayment will instead begin after 24 months and run for 18 months. The facility is repayable in full upon a change of control.
The term loan facilities carry interest at 10.50% annually, while the convertible facilities carry interest at 10.95% annually, which is capitalized and added to principal.
The company will also grant warrants to subscribe for ordinary shares in connection with drawdowns. iSCIB1+ is an investigational DNA ImmunoBody designed to treat advanced melanoma. The candidate is administered through a needle-free intramuscular injection and is designed to target the melanoma-associated antigens gp100 and TRP-2 to stimulate an anti-tumor immune response.
It has received FDA Fast Track Designation, while its registrational Phase 3 trial has received FDA IND clearance and UK MHRA Clinical Trial Authorization (CTA).
Scancell said the Phase 3 trial is on track to begin by the end of 2026, with initial progression-free survival data targeted for the second half of 2028.
The debt financing remains subject to shareholder approval, which the company expects to seek at an EGM in October 2026.
SCLP.L is trading down 0.10% at GBp 9.69 on the London Stock Exchange.

Scancell Secures Up To $25 Mln Debt Facility To Fund ISCIB1+ Phase 3

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the iShares U.S. Financials ETF (Symbol: IYF) where we have detected an approximate $165.4 million dollar outflow -- that's a 3.9% decrease week over week (from 32,450,000 to 31,200,000). Among the largest underlying components of IYF, in trading today Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK) is off about 1.6%, Standard and Poors Global Inc (Symbol: SPGI) is off about 0.5%, and Chubb Ltd (Symbol: CB) is lower by about 1.1%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the IYF Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of IYF, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, IYF's low point in its 52 week range is $113.62 per share, with $139.09 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $129.87. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ».
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs.
Further IYF Research:

Notable ETF Outflow Detected - IYF, BLK, SPGI, CB

Investors interested in stocks from the Financial - Investment Management sector have probably already heard of Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) and BlackRock (BLK). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
Currently, Affiliated Managers Group has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while BlackRock has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that AMG likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than BLK has recently. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.
Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.
The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.
AMG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.60, while BLK has a forward P/E of 18.83. We also note that AMG has a PEG ratio of 0.48. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. BLK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.16.
Another notable valuation metric for AMG is its P/B ratio of 2.36. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, BLK has a P/B of 2.82.
Based on these metrics and many more, AMG holds a Value grade of B, while BLK has a Value grade of D.
AMG stands above BLK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that AMG is the superior value option right now.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
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BlackRock (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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