[Form 4] Blackrock, Inc. Insider Trading Activity
On 25 Jul 2025, BlackRock (BLK) Senior Managing Director Rachel Lord filed a Form 4 disclosing a cashless exercise and sale of employee stock options. She exercised 18,036 options at a strike price of $513.50 (Code M) and immediately sold the same number of common shares in seven open-market transactions (Code S) at weighted-average prices ranging from $1,123.35 to $1,129.61. Gross sale value is roughly $20 million, while no derivative securities remain outstanding from the grant that fully vested between 2022-2024.
Following the transactions, Lord’s direct beneficial ownership fell from 37,241 to 19,205 shares, a reduction of 18,036 shares (≈0.01 % of BLK shares outstanding). The remaining holding includes restricted stock units that will vest over the next one to three years. No Rule 10b5-1 trading plan or purchase activity was disclosed.
- None.
- 18,036 shares sold by a senior executive may be interpreted as a modest bearish signal, although the amount is immaterial to BLK’s float.
Insights
TL;DR: Insider exercised options and sold 18k shares, modest size vs. float; neutral-to-slightly bearish signal.
The filing shows a classic option exercise-and-sell: Lord paid $513.50 to acquire 18,036 shares, then liquidated them at ≈$1,125, realizing a spread of ~$611 per share. Although the dollar amount (~$20 m) is notable for the individual, it represents only 0.01 % of BlackRock’s 152 m share base and should have negligible effect on supply-demand dynamics. Because no concurrent purchases were reported, the market may view the action as routine diversification rather than a positive commitment. Impact: neutral.
TL;DR: Routine Section 16 disposition; no policy red flags, limited governance impact.
This Form 4 follows standard Section 16 reporting, signed by an attorney-in-fact. The exercise fully closes out a 2019 option grant that had already vested. Lord retains >19 k shares plus RSUs, preserving alignment with shareholders. The absence of a disclosed 10b5-1 plan means trades were discretionary, yet volume is too small to signal strategic shifts. Governance risk is minimal.