Blackstone Inc Stock Price, News & Analysis

Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has successfully closed its latest real estate debt fund, Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies V (BREDS V), with approximately $8 billion in total capital commitments.

The fund, managed by Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies which oversees $77 billion in assets under management and employs over 170 professionals globally, will focus on multiple investment strategies including global scale lending, liquid securities, structured solutions to financial institutions, and corporate credit.

Tim Johnson, Global Head of Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies, highlighted the significant achievement of raising this capital during market dislocation and expressed optimism about future opportunities, leveraging Blackstone's position as the largest owner of commercial real estate and alternative real estate credit platform globally.

ITE Management, a leading alternative asset manager in transportation infrastructure with over $10 billion in assets, has secured a strategic minority investment from Blackstone Credit & Insurance (BXCI). The partnership includes a forward flow agreement where BXCI targets to provide up to $2 billion in capital for investments and financing.

ITE, which employs over 70 investment and operating professionals, specializes in asset-backed investments across rail, intermodal, specialty aviation, port infrastructure, and electric vehicles. The transaction proceeds will support ITE's existing products and fund growth initiatives. ITE will maintain independent operations under Co-Founders Jason Koenig and David Smilow.

BXCI's Infrastructure and Asset Based Credit platform manages over $90 billion and focuses on providing investment grade credit, non-investment grade credit, and structured investments across sectors including digital infrastructure, energy transition, consumer finance, and real estate.

Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has appointed Rodney Zemmel as Global Head of Portfolio Operations. Zemmel, formerly a Senior Partner at McKinsey and global leader of McKinsey Digital and AI Transformation initiatives, will oversee Blackstone's Portfolio Operations group that supports their portfolio companies across various functional areas.

The Portfolio Operations team provides expertise in talent, data science, AI transformation, cybersecurity, procurement, energy efficiency, and operational excellence. Blackstone's current portfolio includes 250 companies with $226 billion in annual revenue and approximately 700,000 employees, equivalent to one of the largest Fortune 500 employers.

Zemmel brings nearly three decades of McKinsey experience, where he led McKinsey Digital and Firmwide AI Transformation. He is also co-author of 'Go Long' and 'Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI'.

Element Fleet Management (TSX:EFN) and Blackstone Credit & Insurance have established a strategic funding relationship involving a CAD $500 million portfolio of Canadian fleet lease receivables. The partnership enables Element, the world's largest publicly traded pure-play automotive fleet manager, to achieve significant off-balance sheet treatment while optimizing its funding profile.

The arrangement validates Element's asset origination platform quality and supports the company's growth objectives. Heath Valkenburg, Incoming EVP & Chief Financial Officer at Element, emphasized their commitment to optimizing funding strategies, while Aneek Mamik, Head of Financial Services for Asset Based Finance at Blackstone, highlighted their capability to support the real economy through asset-based finance initiatives.

Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has successfully closed its energy-transition-focused private equity fund, Blackstone Energy Transition Partners IV (BETP IV), at its hard cap of $5.6 billion. The fund size represents a 33% increase compared to its predecessor vehicle.

BETP, Blackstone's energy-focused private equity business, aims to support companies in delivering cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy solutions. The division has earned recognition as Private Equity International's Energy Private Equity Firm of the Year for three consecutive years (2021-2023) and received IJ Investor's Market Innovation of the Year award for North America in 2024.

Notable investments include Energy Exemplar (grid modeling software), Sediver (toughened glass insulators), Westwood Professional Services (engineering), Trystar (backup power solutions), Lancium (data center grid access), and Potomac Energy Center (774-megawatt natural gas and hydrogen-ready power plant).

Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has announced the acquisition of Safe Harbor Marinas from Sun Communities for $5.65 billion. Safe Harbor is the largest marina and superyacht servicing business in the United States, operating 138 marinas across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The acquisition aligns with Blackstone Infrastructure's strategy of investing in sectors with strong tailwinds, particularly the growing travel and leisure industry and population shifts to coastal cities. Blackstone Infrastructure has shown significant growth, managing $55 billion in assets and achieving approximately 40% year-over-year growth since inception.

Wells Fargo served as lead financial advisor and provided committed financing for the transaction, while Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal advisors.

Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has completed its acquisition of Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. (ROIC) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4 billion, including outstanding debt. The deal, which was announced on November 6, 2024, involves Blackstone purchasing all outstanding common shares of ROIC at $17.50 per share.

The transaction was facilitated by multiple financial advisors, with J.P. Morgan serving as ROIC's exclusive financial advisor, while Blackstone was supported by Morgan Stanley & Co. , BofA Securities, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Newmark, and Eastdil Secured. Legal counsel was provided by Clifford Chance US LLP for ROIC and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP for Blackstone.

Blackstone Life Sciences announced that Novartis will acquire Anthos Therapeutics for up to $3.1 billion. The deal includes a $925 million upfront payment, with additional payments tied to regulatory and commercial milestones. The transaction is expected to close in first half of 2025.

Anthos, founded by Blackstone and Novartis in 2019, is developing abelacimab, a novel factor XI inhibitor for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients and blood clot prevention in cancer patients. In the AZALEA-TIMI 71 trial, abelacimab showed significant advantages over rivaroxaban, including a 62% reduction in major bleeding, leading to early study discontinuation. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January 2025.

The company is currently conducting three phase 3 studies: LILAC-TIMI 76 for atrial fibrillation, and ASTER and MAGNOLIA for cancer-associated thrombosis, with data expected in second half of 2026.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) has announced that Michael Chae, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, will deliver a presentation at the Bank of America Securities 2025 Financial Services Conference. The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 10:30am ET.

The event will be accessible through a live webcast on Blackstone's website in the Shareholders section at http://ir.blackstone.com. For those who cannot attend the live presentation, a replay will be made available on the company's website shortly after the event concludes.