New York-based Blackstone Inc. (BX) is an alternative asset management firm specializing in private equity, real estate, hedge fund solutions, credit, secondary funds of funds, public debt and equity and multi-asset class strategies. Valued at $80.1 billion by market cap, the company typically invests in early-stage, seed, middle market, mature, late venture and later stage companies, and also provides capital markets services. The leading alternatives platform is expected to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings for 2026 in the near term.

Ahead of the event, analysts expect BX to report a profit of $1.39 per share on a diluted basis, up 27.5% from $1.09 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has consistently surpassed Wall Street’s EPS estimates in its last four quarterly reports.

For the full year, analysts expect BX to report EPS of $6.35, up 14% from $5.57 in fiscal 2025. Its EPS is expected to rise 26.8% year over year to $8.05 in fiscal 2027. 

BX stock has notably underperformed the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 14.1% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares down 28.3% during this period. Similarly, it underperformed the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLF) 2.2% losses over the same time frame.

BX's underperformance stems from a labor market downturn, sparking fears of economic strain, reduced borrowing, and increased credit risk for lenders.

On Jan. 29, BX shares closed down more than 2% after reporting its Q4 results. Its distributable EPS of $1.75 beat Wall Street expectations of $1.52. The company’s revenue stood at $4.4 billion, up 41.4% year over year.

Analysts’ consensus opinion on BX stock is reasonably bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Out of 22 analysts covering the stock, eight advise a “Strong Buy” rating, three suggest a “Moderate Buy,” 10 give a “Hold,” and one recommends a “Strong Sell.” BX’s average analyst price target is $161.35, indicating an ambitious potential upside of 48.9% from the current levels.