New York-based Blackstone Inc. (BX) operates as an alternative fund manager, specializing in private equity, real estate, public debt & equity investments, etc. Valued at $124.4 billion by market cap, Blackstone invests at various stages of a company or startup’s life cycle, including early-stage, seed, middle market, mature, and late venture.

The financial sector giant has notably outperformed the broader market over the past year but slightly underperformed in 2025. BX stock has surged 29.5% over the past 52 weeks and dipped 2.8% on a YTD basis, compared to the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 21.5% gains over the past year and 7.1% returns in 2025.

Narrowing the focus, Blackstone has also outperformed the industry-focused WHITEWOLF Publicly Listed Private Equity ETF’s (LBO) 15.3% surge over the past year and 4% decline on a YTD basis.

Blackstone’s stock prices gained 3.6% in the trading session following the release of its impressive Q2 results on Jul. 24. Its AUM at the end of the quarter stood at $1.2 trillion, up 12.5% year-over-year. This gave a notable boost to the company’s management and advisory fees, alongside the company reported significant growth in performance allocations and incentive fees. Overall, the asset manager’s topline soared 32.7% year-over-year to $3.7 billion, exceeding Street expectations.

Meanwhile, its distributable earnings increased 25% year-over-year to $1.6 billion, and distributable EPS of $1.21 surpassed the consensus estimates by 9%.

For the full fiscal 2025, analysts expect BX to deliver a distributable EPS of $5, up 7.8% year-over-year. Moreover, the company has a solid earnings surprise history. It has surpassed the Street’s bottom-line estimates in each of the past four quarters.

BX stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Of the 21 analysts covering the stock, opinions include seven “Strong Buys,” one “Moderate Buy,” 12 “Holds,” and one “Strong Sell.”

This configuration is slightly less bullish than three months ago, when eight analysts gave “Strong Buy” recommendations.

On Jul. 28, Piper Sandler analyst Crispin Love maintained a “Neutral” rating on the stock, while raising the price target from $157 to $181.

Blackstone’s mean price target of $179.65 suggests a 7.1% upside potential. Meanwhile, the Street-high target of $215 represents a 28.2% premium to current price levels.