BlackRock vs Duckie

About

BlackRock, Inc. is a New York City, New York-based global investment management company — publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BLK) as an S&P 500 Financials component — managing $12.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM) as the world's largest asset manager through over 19,000 employees serving institutional and individual investors in 100 countries from 70 offices in 30 countries. Founded in 1988 by CEO Larry Fink and seven partners as a fixed income risk management firm, BlackRock grew through landmark acquisitions including Merrill Lynch Investment Managers ($9.8B, 2006), Barclays Global Investors ($13.5B, 2009, which added iShares — the world's largest ETF platform with 400+ funds), and in 2024-2025, a $28 billion acquisition program including Global Infrastructure Partners ($12.5B), HPS Investment Partners ($12B, private credit), and Preqin ($3.2B, private markets data analytics). In full year 2024, BlackRock reported record net inflows of $641 billion, 14% revenue growth (reaching $5.19 billion), diluted EPS of $42.01 ($43.61 adjusted), and a 29% total shareholder return. AUM reached $11.6 trillion at end of 2024 and grew to $12.5 trillion by 2025 incorporating the infrastructure and private credit acquisitions. BlackRock's Aladdin technology platform (managing $21.6+ trillion across internal and external clients as of 2020) provides portfolio construction, risk analytics, and operations infrastructure to asset managers, pension funds, insurance companies, and sovereign wealth funds globally.