Analyst Ratings February 6, 2026

Goldman Lowers Blue Owl Price Target, Cites Modest Growth Outlook

Bank trims target to $14 while keeping Neutral rating amid mixed earnings and valuation metrics

By Nina Shah OWL
Goldman Lowers Blue Owl Price Target, Cites Modest Growth Outlook
OWL

Goldman Sachs reduced its 12-month price target for Blue Owl Capital (NYSE: OWL) to $14.00 from $16.25 and left its rating at Neutral after reviewing the firm’s fourth-quarter 2025 results and updated projections. The broker’s base forecasts call for roughly 12% fee-related revenue growth year-over-year, while the company reported strong recent revenue gains and a slate of positive operating metrics that contrast with an elevated valuation.

Key Points

  • Goldman Sachs reduced its price target on Blue Owl to $14.00 from $16.25 and kept a Neutral rating.
  • Goldman forecasts roughly 12% fee-related revenue growth year-over-year and 10% distributable earnings growth in 2026, supported by deployment, wealth fundraising outside credit, and scaling newer strategies.
  • Blue Owl posted Q4 2025 EPS of $0.24 and revenue of $755.6 million, both above expectations, while its shares trade well below the 52-week high and carry high valuation multiples (P/E 101.7, PEG 3.0).

Goldman Sachs has cut its price target on Blue Owl Capital to $14.00 from $16.25 but retained a Neutral rating on the shares, according to the bank’s latest coverage. Blue Owl is trading at $11.63, well below its 52-week high of $25.89, and InvestingPro data show the stock has fallen more than 50% over the past year.

Goldman’s reassessment leaned on Blue Owl’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings disclosure. The firm left its fee-related earnings, or FRE, estimates for 2026 through 2028 essentially unchanged, while forecasting about 12% total fee-related revenue growth on a year-over-year basis. Goldman noted that this pace may fall short of the company’s own management targets, even as Blue Owl achieved strong revenue growth of 25% over the last twelve months, per InvestingPro data.

Blue Owl concluded 2025 with $28 billion of assets under management that are not yet generating fees. Goldman described that pool as translating into approximately 13% embedded management fee growth year-over-year. Management is targeting modest FRE margin expansion to roughly 58.5% in 2026, which the bank interprets as implying mid-teens revenue growth for the year.

Operational metrics reported alongside these forecasts include a 54.46% gross profit margin and a substantial dividend yield of 7.74%. Blue Owl has increased its dividend for five consecutive years.

On distributable earnings, Goldman projects 10% total growth in 2026. The bank identifies several drivers supporting that outlook: continued deployment of capital, fundraising in wealth channels outside of credit products, and scale-up of newer strategies. According to Goldman, Blue Owl’s fundraising momentum is broad-based across both institutional clients and wealth channels.

Valuation remains a key tension in Goldman’s view. The stock presently trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 101.7 and a PEG ratio of 3.0, signaling a premium valuation relative to the projected growth profile. Goldman adjusted its per-share earnings estimates modestly to $0.91 for 2026, $1.06 for 2027, and $1.19 for 2028; these figures are largely unchanged from the bank’s prior forecasts of $0.91, $1.05, and $1.19, and sit below consensus expectations.

InvestingPro data indicate six analysts have recently lowered their earnings estimates for Blue Owl, although the company is still expected to be profitable this year.

Separately, Blue Owl reported fourth-quarter 2025 results that exceeded expectations on both the bottom and top lines. The firm posted diluted earnings per share of $0.24, versus a $0.23 forecast, representing a 4.35% surprise. Revenue for the quarter came in at $755.6 million, topping the $718.37 million estimate by 5.18%.

Despite those beats, the stock experienced a decline in pre-market trading following the release. Available reports did not provide detailed summaries of analyst reactions or subsequent intraday stock movements.


Contextual note - The contrast between Blue Owl’s recent operating performance and an elevated valuation multiple underlies Goldman’s cautious stance. While the firm identifies clear growth levers for distributable earnings, the expected pace of fee-related revenue expansion and premium market multiples factor into the Neutral rating and the reduced price target.

Investor considerations - Shareholders and prospective buyers will likely weigh the company’s embedded fee growth, dividend yield, and fundraising breadth against its high P/E and PEG metrics when assessing relative value and risk.

Risks

  • Slower-than-expected fee-related revenue growth could disappoint investors, affecting asset management and wealth management stakeholders.
  • High valuation multiples relative to projected growth raise the risk of downside if earnings or fundraising momentum falter, with implications for financial-sector valuations.
  • Embedded fee pools that are not yet earning fees - while significant - may take time to convert, introducing timing risk to distributable earnings forecasts and affecting investor returns.

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