Latest news with #JonathanGray
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Blackstone Inc. (BX)'s CEO Said Some Great Stuff Recently, Says Jim Cramer
We recently published . Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) is an alternative asset manager whose shares have gained a modest 2.5% year-to-date. The stock has gained primarily due to the firm taking advantage of the growth in deal making in 2025 and making large acquisitions such as that of TXNM, an electricity provider in Mexico and Texas. Previously, Cramer has commented that he likes Blackstone, and this time, he commented on the firm's CEO commenting that he was seeing the biggest forward IPO pipeline in four years: '[On CEO saying biggest forward IPO pipeline in four years, the dealmaking pause was behind the firm] It was very good. Jonathan Gray was very good this morning. He also said great stuff about data centers.' Source:pixabay After word spread about Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) acquiring TXNM, here's what Cramer said: 'We know Blackstone has a lot of data centers. We know TXNM is in the area with a lot of data centers. I still think this is motivated by the need to have cheap power. Although remember, they are not a generator. While we acknowledge the potential of BX as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Blackstone Rallied Today
Key Points Blackstone delivered another solid revenue and earnings beat. The private equity giant rode a market recovery and steady inflows to achieve an AUM over $1.2 trillion. It's possible the Trump administration may open retirement accounts to private equity, which could add another boost. 10 stocks we like better than Blackstone › Shares of alternative investment giant Blackstone (NYSE: BX) rallied 4.5% today as of 2:06 p.m. ET. Blackstone reported second-quarter earnings today that came in well ahead of analyst estimates, as the world's largest private equity firm continues to be the gold standard in the alternative investment world. And a potential new opportunity to raise capital from retirement accounts is adding to the optimism. Blackstone continues to roll on In the second quarter, Blackstone's revenue grew 33% to $3.71 billion, while EPS grew a whopping 69% to $0.98, beating expectations. Of course, the markets recovered strongly during the second quarter, which boosted realizations and accrued performance revenues. Meanwhile, Blackstone continued to rake in more assets under management, with inflows totaling a whopping $52.1 billion, roughly consistent with prior three quarters. Total AUM grew to a stunning $1.21 trillion -- with a "T" -- up 12.4% relative to a year ago. Meanwhile, a significant portion of that AUM at around 15% is still in "dry powder," which isn't earning fees yet and can be redeployed opportunistically. President Trump wants to open 401(k) accounts to PE Blackstone shares rallied even over and above a recent rally spurred on by news reports that the Trump administration may issue an executive order that will allow private equity investments within 401(k)s and other retirement accounts. That could be a boon to private equity firms like Blackstone, although the PE giants will also have to be careful about the opportunity. On the conference call with analysts, current CEO Jonathan Gray said: I think we all need to be patient here. But as we've talked about in the past, we think this is compelling for individual investors today in the defined contributions world. The access to alternatives, both the returns and diversification benefits, So we would expect this is going to happen at some point over time... it's obviously more appropriate for somebody earlier in their, sort of lifespan as opposed to somebody just on the cusp of retirement. And so I think the target date funds where we'll see this initially take hold. Obviously, it's a very large market. And for us specifically, the fact that we have created scale perpetual products that have track records that can absorb large amounts of capital that is a real competitive advantage. While it appears all systems are a go for Blackstone, both in terms of recent investment performance and the prospect of more steady inflows and new sources of capital, much optimism is priced into the stock already, at 36.7 times this year's earnings estimates. Therefore, shares look like a hold for now, but perhaps not a buy until another market correction. Should you buy stock in Blackstone right now? Before you buy stock in Blackstone, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Blackstone 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 $634,627!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,046,799!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,037% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Billy Duberstein and/or his clients have positions in Blackstone. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Blackstone. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Blackstone Rallied Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Private Credit and Wealth Strategies Boost Blackstone's Growth
Blackstone is betting its private-credit strategies and funds tailored to wealthy investors will continue to boost its earnings, as the asset manager reported strong returns for this year's second quarter. During a Thursday analyst call to discuss the results, Blackstone's leaders highlighted the fast expansion in the assets the New York-based firm manages across credit and insurance strategies, which as of June 30 totaled about $407.3 billion, a 23% increase from a year earlier. That made credit and insurance the fastest-growing of Blackstone's four broad investment segments, which also include real estate, private equity and multiasset investing. Blackstone at the end of June managed more than $250 billion for insurers alone across strategies such as investment-grade private credit and liquid credit, 20% more than a year earlier, President and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Gray said on the call.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Private equity promised an M&A boom this year. The world is still waiting
Private equity firms are taking longer to return cash to investors and finding it more difficult to raise new funds. The industry could use a long-awaited surge in M&A, and there are signs of optimism when it comes to big money transactions. Markets reeled in early March as President Donald Trump started his tariff barrage by targeting Canada and Mexico—foreshadowing what was to come on 'Liberation Day' the following month. At a conference hosted by Bloomberg in downtown Manhattan, however, several private equity executives urged calm, assuring the audience the overall economic and regulatory outlook remained sunny. After a sluggish few years for deals, Wall Street had eagerly awaited deregulation and lower taxes in the era of Trump 2.0 to unleash a banner year for M&A in 2025. 'This week, it may not feel as good,' Jonathan Gray, president and COO of private equity behemoth Blackstone, said onstage in March. 'But I think when we finish the year, it'll be a better year in terms of activity.' His prediction may yet come true. So far, however, tariff uncertainty has stifled any dramatic surge in activity. About 4,500 U.S. deals worth roughly $570 billion have been announced through May, in line with trends last year, according to a recent report from PwC. And while the M&A market is showing signs of life as it moves back toward pre-pandemic norms, the situation appears to be a far cry from 2021, when American firms had already entered 5,800 transactions valued at nearly $1 trillion in the first five months of the year. Meanwhile, PE firms are finding it more difficult to raise new funds as they take longer to return capital to existing investors. At the end of the first quarter, fundraising had fallen 30% year over year to $462 billion, according to PitchBook. Hilary Wiek, a senior strategist at PitchBook, blamed weak deal activity and 'anemic' distributions to so-called limited partners, or PE investors commonly referred to as 'LPs.' (Gray's Blackstone, however, managed to lead the industry in Q1 by raising $21 billion for its ninth flagship fund, down slightly from the $26 billion committed to the fund's predecessor.) That doesn't mean the long-awaited M&A boom isn't coming. In PwC's May survey of nearly 700 CFOs and other executives, roughly half said they were in the early stages of deals, said Kevin Desai, the firm's U.S. deals platform leader. Thirty percent of respondents said they had been forced to pause or revisit transactions because of tariff issues, he added. 'There's just a level of indecisiveness [that's] still quite high,' Desai, who has led PwC's PE consulting arm, told Fortune. 'But it's not as though they don't see the opportunity. It's not as though they don't see the need for it. There are just things that are getting in the way.' Nearly 60% of the executives surveyed, he said, told PwC they were missing opportunities because they can't make decisions fast enough. 'As economic and trade policies come into focus, we think there will be a tremendous amount of pickup here in volume,' Desai said. There are signs of optimism when it comes to big-money transactions. In May, U.S. buyers announced more megadeals of $5 billion–plus than during any month over the past three years, PwC's report noted. Blackstone is making the second biggest of those acquisitions with plans to buy TXNM Energy for $12 billion, per S&P Global Market Intelligence. The firm did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment. 'Those who can withstand the uncertainty are starting to get busy,' Desai said, 'and they're doing really big things.' Everybody else is waiting for the clouds of uncertainty to clear, he said. It appears as if that can't happen soon enough for much of the private equity world. Fund managers are taking longer to generate the market-beating returns investors have paid for, and, as a result, LPs have less money to throw around. The amount of time PE firms have held onto their assets—before hopefully flipping them for a profit—has climbed steadily since 2018. More than 30% of portfolio companies are now held for over five years or longer, and the median holding period of 3.5 years is the highest it's been in at least a decade, according to PitchBook data cited by PwC. Combined with higher interest rates, Desai explained, that means fund managers need to find higher earnings growth from their portfolio companies to generate adequate returns for investors. Meanwhile, when it comes to new investments, tighter conditions force firms to pick their spots. For example, if a large multinational company makes a strategic move that fails to pay off within two years, it will likely survive. For a fund manager, however, it quickly becomes tough to make up for bad bets. 'I have to prolong my hold period, which means I have to create a disproportionate amount of growth,' Desai said. One sign of this slowdown has been a surge in so-called secondary transactions, when LPs sell some of their private equity stakes—often at a discount. Notable institutional sellers include the endowments of elite universities like Harvard and Yale. Desai said he sees the deals as a healthy sign investors are being realistic about the returns they can expect. Fund managers, he said, then might have the flexibility to start moving on from old portfolio companies, understanding the market is pricing in a hit to past expectations. 'I think that could actually unlock some of the sales that are packed up,' Desai said. And then maybe the deluge of deals will finally arrive. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Insider Spends US$493k Buying More Shares In Prairie Operating
Potential Prairie Operating Co. (NASDAQ:PROP) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, Jonathan Gray, recently bought US$493k worth of stock, paying US$3.75 for each share. We reckon that's a good sign, especially since the purchase boosted their holding by 1,916%. We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. Notably, that recent purchase by Jonathan Gray is the biggest insider purchase of Prairie Operating shares that we've seen in the last year. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$3.92. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for Prairie Operating share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$511k for 136.50k shares. But insiders sold 100.83k shares worth US$1.1m. In total, Prairie Operating insiders sold more than they bought over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! View our latest analysis for Prairie Operating If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of small cap stocks that are not only being bought by insiders but also have attractive valuations. Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 34% of Prairie Operating shares, worth about US$52m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. The recent insider purchases are heartening. On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isn't so positive. The more recent transactions are a positive, but Prairie Operating insiders haven't shown the sustained enthusiasm that we look for, although they do own a decent number of shares, overall. In short they are likely aligned with shareholders. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Prairie Operating (1 shouldn't be ignored) you should be aware of. Of course Prairie Operating may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
