Merit Financial Group LLC Grows Stock Position in BNY $BK

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of BNY (NYSE:BK) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,216 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 8,265 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in BNY were worth $8,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in BNY by 18.0% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 13,345,266 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,454,116,000 after buying an additional 2,034,781 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of BNY by 639.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 7,076,729 shares of the bank’s stock worth $771,080,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119,749 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of BNY by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,483,889 shares of the bank’s stock worth $488,564,000 after purchasing an additional 66,010 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of BNY by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,023,663 shares of the bank’s stock worth $438,418,000 after purchasing an additional 906,218 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of BNY by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,483,240 shares of the bank’s stock worth $288,279,000 after purchasing an additional 317,188 shares during the period. 85.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting BNY

Here are the key news stories impacting BNY this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — BNY reported record Q1 revenue (~$5.4B) and stronger EPS (about $2.24–$2.25, ~42% y/y), driven by net interest income and fee growth; the results and margin expansion are the primary catalyst for the rally. BNY Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised outlook — Management nudged 2026 revenue guidance higher (around $21.3B) and expects roughly ~10% growth in net interest income, suggesting continued top‑line momentum. BNY raises 2026 revenue outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Company announced a $0.53 quarterly common dividend and has communicated large buyback capacity (reports mention a multi‑billion share repurchase program), which supports EPS and investor returns. BNY Declares Dividends Share buybacks announced
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — Several analysts raised price targets (examples: Truist and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted targets into the $148–$150 range and reiterated buy/outperform views), adding fresh buy pressure. Analysts increase forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials & call — Earnings presentation and call transcripts are available for deeper vetting of growth drivers, margins and capital plans; useful for modeling but not new news. Earnings presentation Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and capital notes — Analysts and coverage pieces flag rising expenses and some pressure on capital ratios; these could temper margin improvements and limit near‑term upside if costs persist. Cost woes remain

BNY Price Performance

BK stock opened at $135.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.75. BNY has a 1 year low of $73.55 and a 1 year high of $137.54. The firm has a market cap of $93.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.88.

BNY (NYSE:BK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $2.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.31. BNY had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 14.60%.The business had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that BNY will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BNY Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 27th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 27th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. BNY’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on BNY from $143.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. New Street Research set a $143.00 price objective on BNY in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on BNY from $130.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on BNY from $143.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded BNY from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BNY currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.35.

BNY Profile

BNY, formerly known as BNY Mellon, is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City. Formed in 2007 through the merger of the Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation, BNY traces its roots back to 1784, making it one of the oldest banking institutions in the United States. It was also the first company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

BNY operates at the center of the world’s capital markets, partnering with clients to help them operate more efficiently and accelerate growth.