BlackRock ends 2025 with record-high $14.04 trillion in assets, beating estimates

BlackRock just closed out 2025 with $14.04 trillion under management. That’s the biggest figure the company has ever recorded. It’s also the first time any asset manager has passed the $14 trillion mark.

But while that number grabbed attention, profit actually dropped in the last three months of the year because of higher costs. The company made $1.13 billion in net income, which is 33% lower than the same period last year.

On an adjusted basis, BlackRock earned $13.16 per share, beating the average analyst estimate of $12.24. The company also said base fees, the fixed management fees not tied to performance, went up 9% year-over-year once the effects of market swings were taken out.

Total net inflows during the quarter came in at $268 billion, missing the forecast of $311.6 billion, but still a very large number.

BlackRock increases dividend and adds more buybacks

For the full year, BlackRock’s GAAP operating income dropped 7%, and GAAP diluted earnings per share fell 16%. Both numbers were affected by noncash charges tied to acquisitions and a one-off donation.

Those expenses were not counted in the adjusted numbers. Without them, operating income jumped 18%, and diluted EPS rose 10%. The total number of diluted shares for the year was 160.9 million, which was 6% higher than in 2024.

The board approved a 10% increase in the cash dividend, now set at $5.73 per share, payable on March 24, 2026, to shareholders on record by March 6. Over the course of 2025, the company gave $5 billion back to shareholders.

That includes $1.6 billion from stock buybacks. The board also authorized another 7 million shares to be bought back in the future.

Revenue for the fourth quarter hit $7 billion, up 23% compared to Q4 last year. But GAAP operating income for the quarter came in at $1.66 billion, down 20%. The operating margin dropped from 36.6% to 23.7%.

Still, on an adjusted basis, operating income was $2.85 billion and the margin was 45%, which is almost the same as last year.

ETFs and equity inflows lead $341.7 billion net in Q4

Total net inflows for the quarter were $341.7 billion. Long-term flows made up $267.8 billion of that. Cash management added another $73.9 billion. For the full year, total net flows hit $698.3 billion. Average AUM for the quarter was $13.73 trillion, which was up 19% from the year before.

Equity products brought in the most at $126 billion. That pushed total equity assets to $7.79 trillion. Fixed income added $83.8 billion, reaching $3.27 trillion. Multi-asset brought in $36.9 billion, now sitting at $1.22 trillion. Private markets got $12.7 billion of new money, landing at $322.6 billion.

Liquid alternatives gained $2.9 billion. Digital assets, however, lost value and ended at $78.4 billion, down from $104 billion. Commodities and currency products added $5 billion, now totaling $169.2 billion.

By client type, ETFs dominated the inflow picture, pulling in $181.5 billion. That brought total ETF assets to $5.47 trillion. Retail investors added $81.8 billion, now at $1.28 trillion in total. Institutional clients added only $4.6 billion. Within that, active strategies gained $16.1 billion, while index strategies saw $11.6 billion in outflows.

On the investment style side, active funds pulled in $97.7 billion. Non-ETF index products lost $11.4 billion. ETFs were again the big winners, with the same $181.5 billion in flows. Long-term assets now make up $12.96 trillion of the total. The other $1.08 trillion comes from cash management.

By region, the Americas brought in $190 billion, EMEA had $86 billion, and APAC had $8 billion in net outflows. On the retail side, equity added $15.2 billion, fixed income brought in $37.6 billion, and multi-asset gained $26 billion. In private markets and liquid alternatives, retail clients added about $2.9 billion.

Among ETFs, equity funds got $122.8 billion, and fixed income ETFs got $51.9 billion. Digital asset ETFs had $579 million in new flows. Commodity ETFs added $5.1 billion. For institutions, equity saw a pullback of $4.3 billion, and fixed income was down $2.1 billion. Multi-asset had $9.8 billion added. Private markets and alternatives brought in a combined $12.7 billion, while index strategies shed $11.6 billion.

In total, BlackRock added $341.7 billion in assets during the quarter. That came from new money, market growth, and a bit of currency impact. There were $11.1 billion in realizations and $17.7 billion in currency losses. All added up, the final AUM number stood at $14.04 trillion, the biggest in Larry Fink’s history.

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