ValueAct's Mason Morfit Invests in BlackRock, Sees Potential in Investment Management Software
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 17 2026
0mins
Should l Buy TROW?
Source: CNBC
- Investment Management Software Potential: Mason Morfit of ValueAct disclosed his stake in BlackRock, highlighting the Aladdin platform's ability to automate investment decisions, which could significantly enhance portfolio management efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate processes, showcasing its technological edge in investment management.
- Market Competitive Advantage: Morfit noted that BlackRock can reshape its image as merely an ETF manager through the Aladdin platform, leveraging technology integration to improve management efficiency and strengthen its competitive position against Vanguard, thereby solidifying its market presence.
- Industry Efficiency Issues: While Morfit acknowledged that his investment thesis might seem 'strange,' he emphasized the significant inefficiencies within the sector, creating a pressing need for a company to organize and streamline technology, with BlackRock's strengths in data and software positioning it well to address this need.
- Analyst Optimism: Despite BlackRock's shares dropping over 3% in February, most analysts maintain buy ratings, with expectations for the stock to rise over 23% in the next year, reflecting confidence in its long-term growth potential.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy TROW?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on TROW
Wall Street analysts forecast TROW stock price to rise
7 Analyst Rating
0 Buy
4 Hold
3 Sell
Moderate Sell
Current: 90.400
Low
94.00
Averages
104.67
High
115.00
Current: 90.400
Low
94.00
Averages
104.67
High
115.00
About TROW
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. is a financial services holding company that provides global investment advisory services to investors. It provides a range of investment solutions across equity, fixed income, multi-asset, and alternative capabilities for clients from individuals to advisors to institutions to retirement plan sponsors. It also provides certain investment advisory clients with related administrative services, including distribution, mutual fund transfer agent, accounting, and shareholder services; participant recordkeeping and transfer agent services for defined contribution retirement plans; brokerage; trust services, and non-discretionary advisory services through model delivery. It distributes its array of active investment solutions through a diverse set of distribution channels and vehicles. These vehicles include an array of U.S. mutual funds, collective investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, subadvised funds, separately managed accounts, and other sponsored products.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Institutional Investment Surge: Since Q3 2025, 920 institutional investors have opened or expanded positions in Vertiv, with BlackRock and State Street increasing their stakes by 2.38% and 2.29%, respectively, indicating strong confidence in the company's growth prospects.
- Strong Financial Performance: In 2025, Vertiv's net sales reached $10.23 billion, a 26% increase year-over-year, exceeding guidance by $30 million, reflecting robust demand for data center cooling infrastructure.
- Profitability Improvement: Vertiv's adjusted EPS grew by 47% year-over-year, with projections for 2026 EPS to hit $6.15, showcasing the company's sustained growth potential in the AI-driven market.
- Attractive Valuation: Although the current P/E ratio stands at 73.24, down from 75.74 in 2024, its PEG ratio of 0.80 suggests that Vertiv's stock remains undervalued, attracting investor interest amid anticipated future earnings growth.
See More
- Investment Surge: Institutional investors are flocking to Vertiv due to skyrocketing demand for cooling systems in data centers, with 920 institutions opening or expanding positions as of September 30, 2025, indicating strong market confidence in its future growth.
- Strong Financial Performance: Vertiv's net sales reached $10.23 billion in 2025, a 26% increase year-over-year, exceeding guidance by $30 million, showcasing its robust competitiveness in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.
- Profitability Improvement: In Q4 2025, Vertiv's adjusted EPS surged 47% to $1.36, with projections for 2026 indicating a continued growth of 28%, further solidifying its leadership position in the industry.
- Reasonable Market Valuation: Although Vertiv's current P/E ratio stands at 73.24, down from 75.74 in 2024, its PEG ratio of 0.80 suggests that the stock remains undervalued in light of anticipated future earnings growth, attracting more investor interest.
See More
- Transfer Issues for Small Accounts: Small 401(k) accounts face transfer challenges when employees change jobs, particularly as Roth accounts cannot be automatically transferred to new 401(k) plans, leaving approximately 31.9 million 401(k) accounts totaling $2.1 trillion stranded with former employers, which negatively impacts workers' retirement savings.
- Establishment of Auto-Transfer Network: Since late 2023, the Portability Services Network has collaborated with major 401(k) administrators to utilize technology that periodically checks if IRA owners are now in a retirement plan at a new employer, successfully transferring 31,216 IRA accounts into new 401(k) plans.
- Legislative Change Needed: To address the issue of Roth IRAs not being transferable to 401(k)s, Congress has introduced the Retirement Rollover Flexibility Act, which, if passed, would allow up to $7,000 of Roth IRA funds to be rolled into 401(k)s, providing greater flexibility and clarity for retirement savers.
- Market Participation Status: Currently, about 21,400 401(k) plans are enrolled in the network, representing 6.5 million participants, and once all participants fully implement auto-portability, it will account for 63% of the market, aiding in the simplification of retirement savings management.
See More
- Stable Dividend Growth: Pentair (PNR), a Dividend King, has raised its dividend for 50 consecutive years, with 2025 sales up 2%, adjusted operating income up 10%, and adjusted EPS rising 14% year-over-year, demonstrating robust performance in the water treatment industry despite a modest 1% yield.
- Cash Flow Security: Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), while a master limited partnership, boasts a distribution yield of 5.9% and has increased its distribution for 27 years; in 2025, its distributable cash flow (DCF) grew by 1.3%, ensuring payment safety with a coverage ratio of 1.7x, indicating strong cash generation capabilities.
- Strong Financial Performance: T. Rowe Price Group (TROW) has provided financial services since 1937 and has raised its dividend for 40 years; in 2025, revenue grew by 3%, EPS increased by 4.1% to $9.72, and a net margin of 30.19% reflects its strong profitability and healthy financial position.
- Portfolio Diversification: While these three stocks may not attract the same attention as tech stocks, they offer stable cash flow and dividend growth during economic fluctuations, making them suitable for long-term investors to achieve wealth compounding through a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP), enhancing portfolio stability.
See More

- Small-company stocks gaining attention: Investors are increasingly focusing on small-company stocks as interest in artificial intelligence wanes.
- Market dynamics shifting: The shift in investor sentiment indicates a broader change in market dynamics, moving away from tech-heavy investments.
- Potential for growth: Small-company stocks are seen as having significant growth potential, attracting more capital as investors seek new opportunities.
- Economic implications: This trend may reflect changing economic conditions and investor strategies in response to market fluctuations.
See More
- Retirement Savings Optimization: Research indicates that couples who switch retirement savings to accounts with higher match rates could see an increase of approximately $750 annually for about 20% of couples, significantly enhancing their retirement wealth.
- Wealth Loss Risk: Couples who fail to focus on the highest match rates may sacrifice an average of $14,000 in retirement wealth over their lifetimes, with 10% potentially losing as much as $40,000, highlighting the costly consequences of lack of coordination.
- Current Financial Coordination: The study reveals that couples managing finances independently may operate like roommates, missing out on collaborative decision-making opportunities that could lead to financial losses, underscoring the importance of joint management.
- Regular Financial Meetings: Couples who hold regular financial meetings are better positioned to identify coordination opportunities, particularly when applying for workplace benefits and increasing retirement plan contributions, ensuring alignment on financial goals.
See More










