Security Financial Services INC. Sells 98,884 Shares of iShares Gold Trust $IAU

Security Financial Services INC. lowered its stake in iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU) by 67.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 47,116 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock after selling 98,884 shares during the period. Security Financial Services INC.’s holdings in iShares Gold Trust were worth $4,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in iShares Gold Trust by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,742,286 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $1,115,461,000 after purchasing an additional 203,528 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 13,136,955 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $1,066,327,000 after buying an additional 260,541 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 35.7% during the fourth quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 7,201,313 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $584,531,000 after buying an additional 1,893,594 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in iShares Gold Trust by 2.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,616,480 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $412,563,000 after acquiring an additional 148,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in iShares Gold Trust by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,595,990 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock worth $535,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.67% of the company’s stock.

Key iShares Gold Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting iShares Gold Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong central-bank purchases in the second quarter, along with resilient Asian demand, continue to provide a long-term fundamental tailwind for gold and IAU. Gold and silver price forecast and World Gold Council report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts increasingly view gold near $4,000 as an attractive value area, suggesting support for IAU if prices hold above that level. Gold has value at $4,000 as investors look beyond Fed hawkishness
• Neutral Sentiment: Gold remains range-bound, roughly between $4,000 and $4,200, as investors await clearer signals on interest rates and Middle East developments. The Fed’s rate hold and softer inflation data offered some support, but did not establish a new trend. Gold weekly price analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Long-term Treasury yields reached levels last seen in 2007, increasing the opportunity cost of holding gold. Better-than-expected U.S. consumer sentiment and easing one-year inflation expectations also reduced immediate demand for the metal as an inflation hedge. Gold pulls back as Treasury yields test new highs

iShares Gold Trust Price Performance

Shares of IAU stock opened at $76.17 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $78.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.56. iShares Gold Trust has a one year low of $61.99 and a one year high of $104.40. The stock has a market cap of $62.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.18.

About iShares Gold Trust

iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trust’s custodian on behalf of the Trust. The sponsor of the Trust is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the Sponsor), which is an indirect subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc The trustee of the Trust is The Bank of New York Mellon (the Trustee) and the custodian of the Trust is JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., London branch (the Custodian).