ServiceNow, Inc. $NOW Stake Boosted by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group boosted its stake in ServiceNow by 563.2% in Q4, now owning 39,969 shares valued at about $6.12 million, and institutional investors collectively hold 87.18% of the stock.
• Insiders sold a total of 16,237 shares (≈$1.7M) last quarter leaving insiders with just 0.34% ownership, while multiple major brokerages have trimmed price targets—adding downward pressure on sentiment.
• ServiceNow beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.92 vs $0.89; revenue $3.57B, +20.7% YoY), but the stock trades well below its 52‑week high and the average analyst target is $173.46, making upcoming Q1 guidance the next major catalyst.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW - Free Report) by 563.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,969 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 33,942 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in ServiceNow were worth $6,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in ServiceNow by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 842 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC grew its stake in ServiceNow by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 589 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its stake in ServiceNow by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 453 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC grew its stake in ServiceNow by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC grew its stake in ServiceNow by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 633 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.18% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting ServiceNow

Here are the key news stories impacting ServiceNow this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marketwide risk‑on tone and tech earnings lifted software names, providing an immediate catalyst for NOW’s intraday bounce. Stocks Settle Higher on Tech Earnings and Ceasefire Optimism
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted NOW as able to move higher, citing buyback expansion and insider buying — a retail/TV boost that can attract momentum buyers. Jim Cramer on ServiceNow: "It can go higher"
• Positive Sentiment: Product partnership: ComplianceCow announced integration with ServiceNow’s Integrated Risk Management product, supporting cross‑sell and platform adoption in GRC/security workflows. ComplianceCow Announces Integration with ServiceNow Integrated Risk Management
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on upcoming Q1 results and operational metrics beyond revenue/EPS (seat trends, ARR composition); Q1 guidance will likely be the next major catalyst. Countdown to ServiceNow (NOW) Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry roundups and Q4 peer comparisons are mixed—useful context but not an immediate directional trigger. Automation Software Stocks Q4 In Review: ServiceNow Vs Peers
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple major brokerages trimmed price targets (HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Capital One, Robert W. Baird, BMO, TD Cowen)—this cluster of downgrades/target cuts is weighing on sentiment and raises questions about future upside. HSBC target cut to $171 Deutsche Bank target cut to $135 Capital One target cut to $113
• Negative Sentiment: Negative narratives in some outlets (so‑called “death of software” / “SaaSpocalypse” and AI seat‑contraction stories) are pressuring sentiment and could amplify downside if Q1 metrics disappoint. ServiceNow suffered from "Death of software" narrative ServiceNow Is The Main Victim Of The SaaSpocalypse

Insider Activity at ServiceNow

In related news, Director Paul Edward Chamberlain sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.17, for a total value of $151,755.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 46,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,697,323.10. The trade was a 3.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Paul Fipps sold 3,696 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.77, for a total value of $376,141.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,061 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $820,367.97. The trade was a 31.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 16,237 shares of company stock valued at $1,697,162. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

ServiceNow Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE NOW opened at $96.64 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $100.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.94, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.53. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.24 and a 52 week high of $211.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00.

ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The information technology services provider reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.53 billion. ServiceNow had a return on equity of 18.54% and a net margin of 13.16%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 20.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut ServiceNow from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $170.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $177.00 target price (down from $237.00) on shares of ServiceNow in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $175.00 target price (down from $225.00) on shares of ServiceNow in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Argus raised ServiceNow to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on ServiceNow from $185.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.46.

ServiceNow Company Profile

ServiceNow NYSE: NOW is a cloud computing company that builds enterprise software to manage digital workflows and automate business processes. Its offerings are designed to replace manual work and legacy systems with cloud-based, service-oriented applications that support IT operations, customer service, human resources, security response and other enterprise functions.

The company's flagship product family is the Now Platform, a suite of subscription software and platform services that includes IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Operations Management (ITOM), IT Business Management (ITBM), Customer Service Management (CSM), HR Service Delivery, Security Operations and Asset Management.

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