黑石集团 (Blackstone Group) 日前公布了上市四年以来业绩最好的一份季报。这已是该公司连续第二个季度有如此出色的表现。

    2011年第1季度实现“经济净利润”总量5.68亿美元，较2010年第4季度的5.13亿美元和2010年第1季度的3.60亿美元分别增长10.7%和58%。调整后每股经济净利润为0.51美元，高于分析师预测的0.41美元。管理资产规模从2010年第4季度的1,095 亿美元增至1,240亿美元。

    2011年第1季度，黑石集团私募股权部门的资产规模增长4.9%。第五期私募股权基金BCP的正式投资期已于1月份结束，但关于第六期私募股权基金BCP是否已最终完成投资仍未有确切说法(两个月前时还未结束)。截至3月31日，私募股权部门有169亿美元可投资资金。

    房地产部门的表现强于私募股权部门，但其可投资资金相对较少。预计这种情况将很快得到改变，因为黑石正在募集一支100亿美元的房地产基金。

    根据另外一份黑石集团报告，集团慈善基金会将在美国北卡罗来纳州研究三角园(Research Triangle Park)资助一个新的创业计划。目前尚不知细节，但本周会在北卡罗来纳州达勒姆的一个大活动上正式宣布。这对于北卡罗来纳州是一大好消息，但我怀疑黑石集团这样做是否会让研究三角园的初创企业在获取风险资本的过程中遇到障碍：从旧金山到北卡罗来纳州首府罗利根本就没有直航航班……

    The Blackstone Group (BX) this morning reported its best quarterly earnings since going public four years ago. Second straight quarter they've done that.

    The headline number is $568 million in "economic net income," up 10.7% from $513 million in Q4 2010 and 58% from $360 million in Q1 2010. Adjusted ENI was 51 cents per share, above analyst forecasts of 41 cents per share. Fee-earning assets under management grew from $109.5 billion in Q4 to $124 billion.

    In the private equity group, underlying assets appreciated 4.9% during the quarter. The official investment period for BCP V closed in January, although still no word on if BCP VI has held a final close (it hadn't as of two months ago). Overall, the PE group had $16.9 billion in dry powder as of March 31.

    Real estate outperformed private equity, but its dry powder is lower. Expect that to be rectified soon, since Blackstone is out raising a $10 billion real estate fund.

    In an unrelated Blackstone note, the firm's charitable foundation is underwriting a new entrepreneurship initiative in Research Triangle Park. Don't know details yet, but a formal announcement is being made at a big event next week in Durham. Great news for North Carolina, although I wonder if Blackstone can manage to create one of the major impediments to RTP startups from getting VC funding: The total lack of nonstop flights from SFO to RDU...