N-CSR 1 d431691dncsr.htm GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST Goldman Sachs ETF Trust

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-23013

 

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust

 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

200 West Street, New York, New York 10282

 

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

Caroline Kraus, Esq.    Copies to:
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC    Geoffrey R.T. Kenyon, Esq.
200 West Street    Dechert LLP
New York, New York 10282    100 Oliver Street
   40th Floor
   Boston, MA 02110-2605

 

(Name and address of agents for service)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (312) 655-4400

 

Date of fiscal year end: August 31

 

Date of reporting period: August 31, 2017

 

 

ITEM 1. REPORTS TO STOCKHOLDERS.

 

     The Annual Report to Shareholders is filed herewith.


Goldman Sachs Funds

 

LOGO

 

 

 
Annual Report      

August 31, 2017

 
     

Goldman Sachs ETFs

     

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

 

 

 

 

LOGO


Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Investment Process

    1  

Portfolio Results and Fund Basics

    3  

Schedule of Investments

    8  

Financial Statements

    16  

Financial Highlights

    19  

Notes to Financial Statements

    20  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    30  

Other Information

    31  

 

     
NOT FDIC-INSURED   May Lose Value   No Bank Guarantee


INVESTMENT PROCESS

 

Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

 

Principal Investment Strategies

The Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index. The Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”) is a rules-based index that is designed to measure the performance of investment grade corporate bonds denominated in U.S. dollars that meet certain liquidity and fundamental screening criteria. As of May 31, 2017, there were 1,941 constituents in the Index and the Index had a weighted average maturity of 10.5 years. The Index is a custom index that is owned and calculated by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”) and is based on the Citi US Broad Investment Grade (USBIG®) Corporate Index (the “Reference Index”) using concepts developed with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”).

Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.

The Index Provider constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves two steps.

Step 1 - In the first step, the Index Provider defines a universe of potential index constituents (the “Universe”) by applying specified criteria to the constituent securities of the Reference Index. The Reference Index includes investment grade corporate bonds that have a minimum of one year to maturity and are rated at least BBB- by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) or Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”). Only corporate bond constituents of the Reference Index that have a minimum of $750 million outstanding and a minimum issuer size of $2 billion are included in the Universe.

Step 2 - In the second step, the Index Provider applies a fundamental screen to the Universe. Issuers are first grouped into three broad industry groups: financials, industrials and utilities. Within each industry group, issuers are measured by two fundamental factors: operating margin and leverage. The Index Provider ranks each issuer based on the two fundamental factors, equally weighted. The Index is constructed by including the highest ranking eligible securities in each industry group, screening out lowest ranking eligible securities.

The Index is rebalanced (i) monthly on the last business day of each month, to account for changes in maturities, corporate actions or ratings migration, and (ii) quarterly, to account for updates to the constituent securities on the basis of the fundamental factors (as described above).

The Investment Adviser uses a representative sampling strategy to manage the Fund.

“Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy in which the Fund invests in a representative sample of constituent securities that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Index. The securities selected for investment by the Fund are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics, fundamental characteristics and liquidity measures similar to those of the Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e. hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

1


INVESTMENT PROCESS

 

 

The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in securities and other instruments not included in the Index but which the Investment Adviser believes are correlated to the Index, as well as in, among other instruments, futures (including index futures), swaps, other derivatives, investment companies (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), cash and cash equivalents and money market instruments.

At the end of the Reporting Period (i.e., June 6, 2017 through August 31, 2017), we continued to believe the Fund may provide investors with smoother performance and less volatility, as a smart beta approach should provide liquidity while minimizing exposure to factors historically associated with volatility and underperformance.*

 

 

 

*   Smart beta refers to quantitative index-based strategies. Liquidity is the ability to invest or redeem during market hours. Volatility refers to the annualized standard deviation of returns.

 

2


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Global Fixed Income and Liquidity Solution Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the period since its commencement of operations on June 6, 2017 through August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 1.19% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 1.11% based on market price.1 The Index returned 1.26% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had a NAV of $49.90 per share on the date of commencement of operations and ended the Reporting Period with a NAV of $50.28 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $50.24 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is designed to measure the performance of investment grade corporate bonds denominated in U.S. dollars that meet certain liquidity and fundamental screening criteria. The Index is a custom index that is owned and calculated by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”) and is based on the Citi US Broad Investment Grade (USBIG®) Corporate Index (the “Reference Index”) using concepts developed with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”). The Index is rules-based and the securities in the Index are rebalanced on the last business day of each month.

 

    Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.

 

    During the Reporting Period, the Fund posted positive absolute returns that closely tracked those of the Index, as measured by NAV. The Fund is passively managed to the Index and aims to minimize tracking error to the Index.

 

    Overall, investment grade corporate bond returns are driven by three primary factors — yield, duration (whether interest rates are rising or falling) and spreads (or a widening or tightening of the yield differential to U.S. Treasuries). During the Reporting Period, interest rates declined and spreads tightened, both of which supported the total return of the sector.

 

    Early in the Reporting Period, i.e. in June 2017, the U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) raised the targeted federal funds rate, while central banks in other key markets kept their monetary policies unchanged. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury moved wider by approximately 25 basis points in the weeks following, before falling back below levels seen at the start of the Reporting Period. (A basis point is 1/100th of a percentage point.) Investment grade credit spreads tightened during the Reporting Period overall, although widened a bit in August 2017. In the month of August, market volatility had begun to heighten as domestic and international geopolitical developments created some

 

  1    The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy forth period from commencement of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the market price returns.

 

 

3


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

uncertainty. Escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula particularly sent equity markets lower and global government bond prices higher. Overall, however, corporate credit markets were underpinned by strong corporate earnings and firm demand.

    At the end of the Reporting Period, we believed it likely the U.S. economy would continue to grow in the months ahead, albeit modestly. We also believed the Fed would hike interest rates again before year-end 2017 and that U.S. Treasury rates may well rise, especially in the intermediate portion of the yield curve, or spectrum of maturities. Should this rising rate scenario materialize against a backdrop of tight valuations and a potential pick-up in volatility due in part to an unwinding of quantitative easing, it was our view at the end of the Reporting Period that investment grade credit spreads may remain range-bound for the near term.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund does not employ derivatives.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s weighted average duration, weighted average maturity, weighted average coupon and 30-day SEC yield at the end of the Reporting Period?2

 

A   The Fund had a weighted average duration of 7.18 years, a weighted average maturity of 10.57 years and a weighted average coupon of 3.95% as of August 31, 2017. The 30-day SEC yield of the Fund at the end of the Reporting Period was 0.96%.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s credit allocation at the end of the Reporting Period?

 

A  

 

AAA                 2.4  
AA     13.8  
A     34.9  
BBB     47.6  
BB     1.0  
Cash     0.3  

 

Q   What was the Fund’s industry allocation at the end of the Reporting Period?

 

A   Of the 97% of the Fund’s assets invested in investment grade corporate bonds at the end of the Reporting Period, approximately 33% was in financials, 62% in industrials and 2% in utilities.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index at the end of the Reporting Period?3

 

A   While 100% of Index constituents were investment grade corporate bonds, the Fund was 97% invested in investment grade corporate bonds, 1% invested in high yield corporate bonds, 1.7% invested in emerging market debt and 0.3% in cash at the end of the Reporting Period.

 

  2    Duration is a time measure of a bond’s interest-rate sensitivity, based on the weighted average of the time periods over which a bond’s cash flows accrue to the bondholder. Time periods are weighted by multiplying by the present value of its cash flow divided by the bond’s price. (A bond’s cash flows consist of coupon payments and repayment of capital.)

 

      A bond’s duration will almost always be shorter than its maturity, with the exception of zero-coupon bonds, for which maturity and duration are equal. Weighted average duration is a measure of the duration for the securities in the portfolio overall. Weighted average maturity (“WAM”) is the weighted average amount of time until the debt securities in a portfolio mature, or the weighted average of the remaining terms to maturity of the debt securities within a portfolio. The higher the WAM, the longer it takes for all of the bonds in the portfolio to mature, and WAM is used to manage debt portfolios and to assess the performance of debt portfolio managers. Coupons are fixed percentages paid out on a fixed income security on an annual basis. Weighted average coupon is calculated by weighting the coupon of each debt security by its relative size in the portfolio. The method of calculation of the 30-Day Standardized Yield is mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and is determined by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the last 30 days of the period by the maximum public offering price per share on the last day of the period. This number is then annualized.

 

  3    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index.

 

4


FUND BASICS

 

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017       
  Market Price1   $ 50.24  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 50.28  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of the Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com.

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     June 6, 2017– August 31, 2017   Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
  Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    Citi Goldman Sachs
Investment Grade
Corporate Bond Index3
 
    Shares   1.19%     1.11     1.26

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculations assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00 pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.

 

  3    The Index was developed and is calculated and maintained by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”). FTSE is not affiliated with the Fund or GSAM. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by FTSE or any of its affiliates and FTSE makes no representation to any owner or prospective owner of the Fund regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly, or the ability of the Fund to track the price and yield performance of the Index or the ability of the Index to track general bond market performance. FTSE’s only relationship to GSAM (“Licensee”) is the licensing of certain information, data, trademarks and trade names of FTSE or its affiliates. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by FTSE without regard to the Fund. FTSE has no obligation to take the needs of the owners or prospective owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. FTSE is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of the shares to be issued by the Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of the shares to be issued by the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares to be issued by the Fund are to be converted into cash. FTSE has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

5


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  30-DAY STANDARDIZED YIELD4
          30-Day Standardized Yield4
    Shares   2.84%

 

  4    The method of calculation of the 30-Day Standardized Yield is mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and is determined by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the last 30 days of the period by the maximum public offering price per share on the last day of the period. This number is then annualized.

 

  EXPENSE RATIO5
          Expense Ratio
    Shares   0.14%

 

  5    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/176
     Holding   Maturity Date   % of Net Assets     Line of Business
  MetLife, Inc., Series D, 4.37%   9/15/23     1.0   Financials
  HSBC Holdings PLC, 6.50%   9/15/37     0.9     Financials
  Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance,   2/1/19     0.9     Food & Beverage
  Inc., 1.90%      
  Oracle Corp., 2.80%   7/8/21     0.9     Information Technology
  ING Groep NV, 3.95%   3/29/27     0.8     Financials
  Morgan Stanley, Series GMTN,   7/28/21     0.8     Financials
  5.50%      
  United Technologies Corp.,   11/1/21     0.8     Industrials
  1.95%      
  HCP, Inc., 4.25%   11/15/23     0.8     Real Estate
  JPMorgan Chase & Co., 2.97%   1/15/23     0.7     Financials
    Intel Corp., 2.45%   7/29/20     0.7     Information Technology

 

  6    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

6


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  INDUSTRY ALLOCATION AS OF 8/31/177  
     Industry   % of Net Assets  
  Financials     32.3
  Information Technology     12.5  
  Energy     10.0  
  Health Care     7.4  
  Telecommunication Services     7.0  
  Consumer Staples     6.0  
  Consumer Discretionary     5.6  
  Food & Beverage     3.1  
  Industrials     2.7  
  Materials     2.7  
  Consumer, Non-cyclical     2.7  
  Utilities     2.2  
  Consumer Cyclical     1.6  
  Real Estate     1.2  
  Distributors     0.9  
  Transportation     0.4  
  Brokerage     0.2  
  Products     0.2  
  Capital Goods     0.0  
    Other     1.3  

 

  7    The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets. Figures in the graph may not sum to 100% due to the exclusion of other assets and liabilities.

 

7


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Corporate Obligations – 78.8%  
Aerospace & Defense – 1.8%  
 

Arconic, Inc.

 
$ 120,000       5.400     04/15/21     $ 128,430  
 

Lockheed Martin Corp.

 
  370,000       3.800     03/01/45       366,984  
  180,000       4.700     05/15/46       204,443  
 

United Technologies Corp.

 
  1,410,000       1.950     11/01/21       1,396,518  
  370,000       3.125     05/04/27       373,002  
  320,000       5.700     04/15/40       399,430  
  250,000       3.750     11/01/46       241,452  
     

 

 

 
        3,110,259  

 

 

 
Air Freight & Logistics – 0.6%  
 

FedEx Corp.

 
  360,000       4.550     04/01/46       384,065  
 

United Parcel Service, Inc.

 
  750,000       2.450     10/01/22       761,402  
     

 

 

 
        1,145,467  

 

 

 
Automobiles – 0.4%  
 

General Motors Co.

 
  288,000       3.500     10/02/18       292,880  
  180,000       6.250     10/02/43       202,402  
  120,000       6.750     04/01/46       141,709  
     

 

 

 
        636,991  

 

 

 
Banks – 15.8%  
 

Bank of America Corp.

 
  300,000       6.875     11/15/18       317,915  
  500,000       7.750     05/14/38       733,134  
 

Bank of America Corp., GMTN

 
  830,000       3.300     01/11/23       854,621  
  50,000       3.500     04/19/26       50,942  
 

Bank of America Corp., Series L

 
  190,000       4.183     11/25/27       196,396  
 

Bank of America Corp., MTN

 
  620,000       5.000     05/13/21       678,243  
  30,000       3.875     08/01/25       31,602  
  520,000       3.248     10/21/27       510,760  
  730,000       5.000     01/21/44       843,264  
 

Bank of America NA

 
  430,000       2.050     12/07/18       432,199  
 

Branch Banking & Trust Co.

 
  250,000       2.100       01/15/20       251,581  
 

Capital One Bank USA NA

 
  550,000       2.250     02/13/19       552,439  
  800,000       3.375     02/15/23       816,363  
 

Capital One NA/Mclean VA

 
  560,000       2.350     01/31/20       561,796  
 

Citigroup, Inc.

 
  1,020,000       8.500     05/22/19       1,130,381  
  446,000       2.350     08/02/21       445,168  
  300,000       4.500     01/14/22       324,156  
  30,000       3.875     10/25/23       31,659  
  500,000       3.875     03/26/25       513,948  
  500,000       3.300       04/27/25       508,205  
  350,000       3.700     01/12/26       360,981  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Banks – (continued)  
 

Citigroup, Inc. – (continued)

 
740,000       3.200       10/21/26     733,777  
  510,000       4.450     09/29/27       541,353  
  20,000       4.125     07/25/28       20,634  
  170,000       5.875     01/30/42       216,466  
  30,000       6.675     09/13/43       40,900  
  448,000       4.650     07/30/45       497,237  
 

Discover Bank

 
  540,000       4.200     08/08/23       575,969  
  580,000       3.450     07/27/26       575,281  
 

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

 
  489,000       2.350     01/28/19       493,527  
  375,000       4.400     07/22/20       400,372  
  250,000       4.250     10/15/20       266,364  
  30,000       4.625     05/10/21       32,550  
  827,000       4.500     01/24/22       899,730  
  20,000       3.250     09/23/22       20,697  
  1,325,000       2.972     01/15/23       1,348,449  
  500,000       3.200     06/15/26       500,472  
  485,000       3.625     12/01/27       490,277  
  300,000       6.400     05/15/38       401,775  
  300,000       5.500     10/15/40       369,084  
  430,000       5.600     07/15/41       537,554  
  250,000       5.400     01/06/42       305,964  
  60,000       4.850       02/01/44       69,470  
 

KeyBank NA

 
  600,000       2.500     12/15/19       611,266  
 

PNC Bank NA

 
  765,000       1.800     11/05/18       766,751  
 

PNC Bank NA, MTN

 
  260,000       2.600     07/21/20       264,862  
 

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)

 
  840,000       4.375     08/11/20       897,010  
 

Santander Holdings USA, Inc.

 
  820,000       3.700 (a)      03/28/22       837,893  
 

US Bank NA

 
  290,000       2.125     10/28/19       292,429  
  250,000       2.000     01/24/20       251,279  
 

Wells Fargo & Co.

 
  350,000       3.069     01/24/23       358,067  
  170,000       3.000     04/22/26       167,992  
  900,000       3.000     10/23/26       889,538  
 

Wells Fargo & Co., GMTN

 
  300,000       4.300     07/22/27       320,218  
  490,000       4.900     11/17/45       543,484  
 

Wells Fargo & Co., Series M

 
  750,000       3.450     02/13/23       773,841  
 

Wells Fargo & Co., MTN

 
  1,000,000       4.600     04/01/21       1,081,225  
 

Wells Fargo Bank NA, MTN

 
  1,000,000       2.150     12/06/19       1,007,783  
     

 

 

 
        28,547,293  

 

 

 
Beverages – 1.5%  
 

Coca-Cola Co. (The)

 
  590,000       1.550     09/01/21       583,859  
 

Molson Coors Brewing Co.

 
  50,000       4.200     07/15/46       49,929  

 

8   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Beverages – (continued)  
 

PepsiCo, Inc.

 
$ 600,000       3.000 %       08/25/21     $ 624,840  
  1,100,000       2.750     03/05/22       1,134,745  
  100,000       4.875     11/01/40       117,503  
  330,000       3.450     10/06/46       316,608  
     

 

 

 
        2,827,484  

 

 

 
Biotechnology – 3.2%  
 

AbbVie, Inc.

 
  30,000       3.200       11/06/22       30,832  
  180,000       3.600     05/14/25       186,020  
  270,000       4.500     05/14/35       289,892  
  50,000       4.300     05/14/36       52,239  
  300,000       4.700     05/14/45       326,041  
 

Amgen, Inc.

 
  100,000       2.200     05/22/19       100,612  
  780,000       3.450     10/01/20       811,739  
  790,000       4.400     05/01/45       827,839  
  200,000       4.663     06/15/51       218,604  
 

Celgene Corp.

 
  320,000       3.550     08/15/22       336,105  
  250,000       5.000     08/15/45       286,838  
 

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

 
  200,000       3.250     09/01/22       208,596  
  460,000       3.650     03/01/26       483,762  
  240,000       4.800     04/01/44       266,686  
  250,000       4.750     03/01/46       279,043  
  710,000       4.150     03/01/47       732,304  
     

 

 

 
        5,437,152  

 

 

 
Brokerage – 0.2%  
 

Jefferies Group LLC

 
  250,000       4.850     01/15/27       266,096  

 

 

 
Capital Goods – 0.0%  
 

Caterpillar Financial Services Corp.

 
  60,000       1.700     08/09/21       59,163  

 

 

 
Capital Markets – 3.5%  
 

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (The), Series G

 
  800,000       3.000     02/24/25       813,296  
 

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (The), MTN

 
  500,000       2.600     08/17/20       509,861  
  20,000       2.800     05/04/26       19,897  
  100,000       2.450     08/17/26       96,727  
  40,000       3.250     05/16/27       41,025  
 

BlackRock, Inc.

 
  200,000       3.500     03/18/24       212,020  
 

Morgan Stanley

 
  550,000       4.875     11/01/22       600,386  
  640,000       3.950       04/23/27       653,508  
  556,000       6.375     07/24/42       751,230  
  20,000       4.300     01/27/45       20,930  
  30,000       4.375     01/22/47       31,943  
 

Morgan Stanley, Series F

 
  245,000       3.875     04/29/24       257,867  
 

Morgan Stanley, GMTN

 
  1,290,000       5.500     07/28/21       1,435,767  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Capital Markets – (continued)  
 

Morgan Stanley, GMTN – (continued)

 
25,000       3.700       10/23/24     26,038  
 

Morgan Stanley, MTN

 
  500,000       2.625     11/17/21       503,858  
  240,000       3.125     07/27/26       237,380  
 

State Street Corp.

 
  180,000       2.650     05/19/26       177,551  
     

 

 

 
        6,389,284  

 

 

 
Chemicals – 1.6%  
 

Dow Chemical Co. (The)

 
  650,000       8.550     05/15/19       721,426  
  280,000       5.250     11/15/41       320,738  
  160,000       4.375     11/15/42       164,867  
 

Eastman Chemical Co.

 
  520,000       3.600     08/15/22       541,463  
 

LyondellBasell Industries NV

 
  350,000       5.000     04/15/19       365,791  
  550,000       5.750     04/15/24       633,016  
  130,000       4.625     02/26/55       131,051  
     

 

 

 
        2,878,352  

 

 

 
Communications – 1.9%  
 

Charter Communications Operating LLC / Charter
Communications Operating Capital

 
 
  530,000       3.579       07/23/20       544,234  
  700,000       4.464     07/23/22       737,985  
  340,000       6.384     10/23/35       389,983  
  180,000       6.484     10/23/45       208,166  
 

NBCUniversal Media LLC

 
  175,000       5.950     04/01/41       223,050  
 

Time Warner Cable LLC

 
  700,000       8.250     04/01/19       766,510  
  120,000       7.300     07/01/38       148,488  
  160,000       5.875       11/15/40       172,306  
  330,000       4.500     09/15/42       302,533  
     

 

 

 
        3,493,255  

 

 

 
Communications Equipment – 0.5%  
 

Cisco Systems, Inc.

 
  85,000       1.600     02/28/19       85,149  
  360,000       3.625     03/04/24       386,212  
  260,000       5.900     02/15/39       342,616  
     

 

 

 
        813,977  

 

 

 
Consumer Cyclical – 1.6%  
 

General Motors Financial Co., Inc.

 
  180,000       3.150     01/15/20       183,596  
  870,000       3.200     07/13/20       889,681  
  530,000       3.450     04/10/22       540,383  
  250,000       4.350     01/17/27       257,217  
 

Toyota Motor Credit Corp., MTN

 
  1,053,000       1.700     02/19/19       1,055,333  
     

 

 

 
        2,926,210  

 

 

 
Consumer Finance – 0.4%  
 

Capital One Financial Corp.

 
  230,000       3.200     02/05/25       230,719  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   9


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Consumer Finance – (continued)  
 

Capital One Financial Corp. – (continued)

 
$ 500,000       4.200 %       10/29/25     $ 516,503  
     

 

 

 
        747,222  

 

 

 
Consumer Noncyclical – 1.1%  
 

Allergan Funding SCS

 
  200,000       3.450     03/15/22       207,283  
  590,000       3.800     03/15/25       616,174  
  750,000       4.550     03/15/35       808,323  
  40,000       4.750     03/15/45       43,918  
 

Shire Acquisitions Investments Ireland DAC

 
  270,000       2.875     09/23/23       269,143  
 

Wyeth LLC

 
  150,000       5.950     04/01/37       199,118  
     

 

 

 
        2,143,959  

 

 

 
Containers & Packaging – 0.2%  
 

International Paper Co.

 
  130,000       3.000       02/15/27       126,370  
  190,000       4.400       08/15/47       193,556  
     

 

 

 
        319,926  

 

 

 
Distributors – 0.9%  
 

American Honda Finance Corp.

 
  222,000       2.125     10/10/18       223,391  
 

American Honda Finance Corp., GMTN

 
  1,030,000       1.700     09/09/21       1,016,585  
 

General Motors Financial Co., Inc.

 
  340,000       4.200     03/01/21       357,089  
     

 

 

 
        1,597,065  

 

 

 
Diversified Financial Services – 0.1%  
 

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

 
  250,000       3.125     03/15/26       255,604  

 

 

 
Diversified Telecommunication – 6.0%  
 

AT&T, Inc.

 
  510,000       2.300     03/11/19       513,375  
  1,170,000       5.000     03/01/21       1,269,437  
  30,000       2.625     12/01/22       29,786  
  25,000       3.800     03/01/24       25,773  
  340,000       3.400     08/14/24       343,197  
  600,000       3.400     05/15/25       598,884  
  30,000       4.125     02/17/26       31,144  
  100,000       4.250     03/01/27       103,983  
  550,000       3.900     08/14/27       556,904  
  25,000       4.500     05/15/35       24,555  
  300,000       5.250     03/01/37       318,205  
  180,000       6.550     02/15/39       216,752  
  320,000       5.150     03/15/42       326,814  
  230,000       4.800     06/15/44       224,287  
  150,000       4.350     06/15/45       136,731  
  210,000       4.750     05/15/46       202,084  
  90,000       5.450     03/01/47       94,943  
  240,000       4.500     03/09/48       223,151  
  230,000       4.550     03/09/49       213,382  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Diversified Telecommunication – (continued)  
 

AT&T, Inc. – (continued)

 
470,000       5.150       02/14/50     476,058  
  140,000       5.700       03/01/57       150,245  
 

Verizon Communications, Inc.

 
  1,290,000       2.946     03/15/22       1,314,342  
  210,000       5.150       09/15/23       234,693  
  150,000       4.400     11/01/34       150,742  
  290,000       5.250     03/16/37       313,789  
  530,000       4.812     03/15/39       539,532  
  100,000       3.850     11/01/42       87,021  
  70,000       4.125     08/15/46       62,365  
  233,000       4.862     08/21/46       232,769  
  110,000       5.500     03/16/47       119,547  
  190,000       4.522     09/15/48       178,079  
  350,000       5.012     04/15/49       352,949  
  750,000       5.012     08/21/54       738,039  
  290,000       4.672     03/15/55       271,710  
     

 

 

 
        10,675,267  

 

 

 
Electric – 0.1%  
 

Exelon Generation Co. LLC

 
  200,000       5.600       06/15/42       209,389  

 

 

 
Electric Utilities – 1.6%  
 

Duke Energy Corp.

 
  250,000       3.750     04/15/24       265,362  
  250,000       2.650     09/01/26       242,245  
  90,000       3.750     09/01/46       87,543  
 

Exelon Corp.

 
  600,000       2.850     06/15/20       613,128  
  200,000       3.497     06/01/22       207,487  
  250,000       3.950     06/15/25       264,622  
 

FirstEnergy Corp., Series B

 
  1,000,000       3.900     07/15/27       1,021,541  
 

Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

 
  200,000       6.050     03/01/34       260,871  
     

 

 

 
        2,962,799  

 

 

 
Energy – 1.8%  
 

ConocoPhillips Co.

 
  400,000       4.950     03/15/26       449,413  
 

ConocoPhillips Holding Co.

 
  130,000       6.950     04/15/29       171,055  
 

Devon Financing Co. LLC

 
  150,000       7.875     09/30/31       196,828  
 

Enterprise Products Operating LLC

 
  220,000       3.750       02/15/25       229,316  
  150,000       4.850     03/15/44       160,683  
  220,000       5.100     02/15/45       244,992  
 

Plains All American Pipeline LP / PAA Finance Corp.

 
  380,000       4.650     10/15/25       396,120  
 

Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC

 
  610,000       5.875     06/30/26       683,581  
 

Williams Partners LP / ACMP Finance Corp.

 
  680,000       4.875     03/15/24       711,237  
     

 

 

 
        3,243,225  

 

 

 

 

10   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Energy Equipment & Services – 0.3%  
 

Halliburton Co.

 
$ 350,000       3.800 %       11/15/25     $ 362,882  
  230,000       5.000       11/15/45       250,046  
 

National Oilwell Varco, Inc.

 
  50,000       3.950     12/01/42       42,491  
     

 

 

 
        655,419  

 

 

 
Equity Real Estate Investment – 1.2%  
 

Crown Castle International Corp.

 
  740,000       5.250     01/15/23       826,407  
  50,000       3.650     09/01/27       50,384  
 

HCP, Inc.

 
  1,270,000       4.250     11/15/23       1,362,625  
     

 

 

 
        2,239,416  

 

 

 
Food & Staples Retailing – 3.3%  
 

Costco Wholesale Corp.

 
  864,000       2.300     05/18/22       870,452  
 

CVS Health Corp.

 
  810,000       2.800     07/20/20       825,612  
  1,000,000       2.125     06/01/21       996,175  
  610,000       3.500     07/20/22       638,324  
  110,000       5.125     07/20/45       127,874  
 

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

 
  450,000       3.450     06/01/26       452,106  
 

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

 
  910,000       5.250     09/01/35       1,122,142  
  150,000       5.625     04/15/41       195,379  
  500,000       4.750       10/02/43       591,677  
     

 

 

 
        5,819,741  

 

 

 
Food and Beverage – 1.1%  
 

Kraft Heinz Foods Co.

 
  957,000       2.800     07/02/20       975,394  
  410,000       3.500     06/06/22       425,598  
  300,000       3.000     06/01/26       289,504  
  50,000       5.000     06/04/42       53,099  
  270,000       4.375     06/01/46       264,645  
     

 

 

 
        2,008,240  

 

 

 
Health Care Equipment & Supplies – 0.2%  
 

Becton Dickinson and Co.

 
  200,000       3.363     06/06/24       202,843  
  100,000       3.700     06/06/27       101,742  
 

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.

 
  30,000       3.550     04/01/25       30,564  
     

 

 

 
        335,149  

 

 

 
Health Care Providers & Services – 1.0%  
 

Anthem, Inc.

 
  170,000       4.625       05/15/42       186,048  
  130,000       4.650     08/15/44       143,072  
 

Express Scripts Holding Co.

 
  620,000       4.750     11/15/21       676,668  
  270,000       4.500     02/25/26       291,959  
  210,000       4.800     07/15/46       221,929  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Health Care Providers & Services – (continued)  
 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

 
40,000       3.750       07/15/25     42,578  
  230,000       4.750     07/15/45       268,731  
  30,000       4.200       01/15/47       32,376  
     

 

 

 
        1,863,361  

 

 

 
Healthcare – 1.2%  
 

HCA, Inc.

 
  730,000       3.750     03/15/19       744,600  
  550,000       5.250     06/15/26       591,937  
  80,000       5.500     06/15/47       83,000  
 

Medtronic, Inc.

 
  400,000       2.500     03/15/20       406,737  
  220,000       4.625     03/15/45       250,884  
  200,000       4.375     03/15/35       221,715  
     

 

 

 
        2,298,873  

 

 

 
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure – 0.4%  
 

McDonald’s Corp., MTN

 
  610,000       3.700       01/30/26       642,079  
  25,000       4.700     12/09/35       28,089  
     

 

 

 
        670,168  

 

 

 
Household Durables – 0.1%  
 

Newell Brands, Inc.

 
  170,000       5.500     04/01/46       203,104  

 

 

 
Household Products – 0.3%  
 

Procter & Gamble Co. (The)

 
  340,000       5.550     03/05/37       455,626  

 

 

 
Industrial Conglomerates – 0.3%  
 

Honeywell International, Inc.

 
  610,000       2.500     11/01/26       593,992  

 

 

 
Insurance – 1.7%  
 

Berkshire Hathaway Finance Corp.

 
  90,000       1.300     08/15/19       89,469  
 

Chubb INA Holdings, Inc.

 
  320,000       4.350     11/03/45       355,628  
 

MetLife, Inc.

 
  260,000       5.700     06/15/35       325,597  
  259,000       4.875     11/13/43       297,255  
 

MetLife, Inc., Series D

 
  1,600,000       4.368     09/15/23       1,759,455  
     

 

 

 
        2,827,404  

 

 

 
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail – 0.5%  
 

Amazon.com, Inc.

 
  370,000       2.800 (a)      08/22/24       375,693  
  130,000       4.800     12/05/34       149,303  
  390,000       4.050 (a)      08/22/47       402,850  
     

 

 

 
        927,846  

 

 

 
Internet Software & Services – 0.1%  
  eBay, Inc.        
  250,000       2.750     01/30/23       250,836  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   11


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
IT Services – 0.8%  
 

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.

 
$ 960,000       3.000 %       08/15/26     $ 946,838  
 

International Business Machines Corp.

 
  350,000       3.375       08/01/23       366,080  
  35,000       4.000     06/20/42       35,561  
 

Visa, Inc.

 
  150,000       4.150       12/14/35       164,174  
     

 

 

 
        1,512,653  

 

 

 
Life Sciences Tools & Services – 0.5%  
 

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

 
  920,000       2.950     09/19/26       909,391  

 

 

 
Machinery – 0.0%  
 

Caterpillar, Inc.

 
  30,000       3.900     05/27/21       32,067  

 

 

 
Media – 3.1%  
 

Comcast Corp.

 
  60,000       3.600     03/01/24       63,350  
  960,000       3.150     03/01/26       969,480  
  20,000       5.650     06/15/35       24,345  
  270,000       4.400     08/15/35       292,091  
  230,000       6.500     11/15/35       303,147  
  25,000       6.450     03/15/37       33,130  
  250,000       4.650     07/15/42       273,012  
  190,000       4.600     08/15/45       207,104  
  140,000       3.400     07/15/46       127,521  
 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

 
  500,000       3.625       05/01/22       524,060  
 

Time Warner, Inc.

 
  640,000       3.600     07/15/25       647,984  
  670,000       3.800     02/15/27       673,310  
  180,000       7.700     05/01/32       252,375  
  50,000       6.100     07/15/40       58,281  
  180,000       4.850     07/15/45       182,244  
 

Viacom, Inc.

 
  500,000       4.375     03/15/43       426,473  
 

Walt Disney Co. (The)

 
  800,000       3.000     02/13/26       815,128  
     

 

 

 
        5,873,035  

 

 

 
Multi-Utilities – 0.5%  
 

Dominion Energy, Inc.

 
  500,000       2.579     07/01/20       505,221  
  310,000       3.900     10/01/25       327,417  
     

 

 

 
        832,638  

 

 

 
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – 4.4%  
 

Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

 
  225,000       6.450       09/15/36       263,681  
 

Apache Corp.

 
  410,000       4.750     04/15/43       411,226  
 

Chevron Corp.

 
  750,000       2.566     05/16/23       759,300  
  180,000       2.954     05/16/26       181,813  
 

ConocoPhillips

 
  150,000       6.500     02/01/39       197,030  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – (continued)  
 

Devon Energy Corp.

 
290,000       3.250       05/15/22     294,759  
  245,000       7.950       04/15/32       323,754  
  160,000       5.600     07/15/41       170,765  
 

Energy Transfer LP

 
  600,000       4.150       10/01/20       629,184  
  300,000       6.125     12/15/45       329,887  
  200,000       5.300     04/15/47       200,322  
 

EOG Resources, Inc.

 
  380,000       2.625     03/15/23       382,251  
 

Exxon Mobil Corp.

 
  615,000       2.222     03/01/21       623,036  
  200,000       4.114     03/01/46       213,691  
 

Hess Corp.

 
  410,000       4.300     04/01/27       401,883  
 

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP

 
  600,000       3.500     03/01/21       615,866  
 

Kinder Morgan, Inc.

 
  200,000       5.550     06/01/45       212,702  
 

Marathon Oil Corp.

 
  250,000       2.800     11/01/22       244,707  
 

MPLX LP

 
  420,000       5.200     03/01/47       434,207  
 

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

 
  230,000       3.400       04/15/26       235,748  
  180,000       4.625     06/15/45       196,997  
  80,000       4.100     02/15/47       81,679  
 

Phillips 66

 
  100,000       5.875     05/01/42       122,151  
 

Williams Partners LP

 
  350,000       3.600       03/15/22       361,040  
     

 

 

 
        7,887,679  

 

 

 
Pharmaceuticals – 1.6%  
 

Eli Lilly & Co.

 
  360,000       3.950     05/15/47       380,587  
 

Merck & Co., Inc.

 
  200,000       3.700     02/10/45       203,174  
 

Mylan NV

 
  40,000       5.250     06/15/46       43,186  
 

Pfizer, Inc.

 
  585,000       2.100     05/15/19       590,938  
  400,000       2.200     12/15/21       404,540  
  950,000       2.750     06/03/26       948,349  
  150,000       7.200     03/15/39       226,167  
  330,000       4.125     12/15/46       354,109  
     

 

 

 
        3,151,050  

 

 

 
Semiconductors & Semiconductor – 2.2%  
 

Applied Materials, Inc.

 
  520,000       3.300     04/01/27       534,755  
  460,000       4.350     04/01/47       496,272  
 

Intel Corp.

 
  1,320,000       2.450     07/29/20       1,343,938  
  100,000       3.300     10/01/21       105,128  
  830,000       3.700       07/29/25       885,784  
  75,000       4.250     12/15/42       80,852  

 

12   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Semiconductors & Semiconductor – (continued)  
 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

 
$ 200,000       1.850 %       05/20/19     $ 200,821  
  290,000       4.650     05/20/35       321,610  
     

 

 

 
        3,969,160  

 

 

 
Software – 4.3%  
 

Microsoft Corp.

 
  570,000       1.850     02/12/20       573,427  
  540,000       2.000     11/03/20       544,841  
  240,000       2.400     02/06/22       244,069  
  585,000       2.650     11/03/22       599,291  
  40,000       2.875       02/06/24       41,166  
  360,000       3.300     02/06/27       374,358  
  380,000       3.450     08/08/36       382,187  
  240,000       5.200     06/01/39       296,778  
  300,000       4.450     11/03/45       339,232  
  310,000       3.700     08/08/46       310,632  
  300,000       4.000       02/12/55       307,770  
 

Microsoft Corp., Series 30Y

 
  260,000       4.250     02/06/47       287,068  
 

Oracle Corp.

 
  390,000       2.375     01/15/19       394,465  
  443,000       3.875     07/15/20       470,026  
  1,550,000       2.800     07/08/21       1,601,571  
  210,000       2.950     05/15/25       213,514  
  350,000       3.850     07/15/36       363,680  
  60,000       6.125     07/08/39       80,320  
  150,000       5.375     07/15/40       184,731  
  50,000       4.125     05/15/45       52,298  
  180,000       4.000     07/15/46       184,884  
     

 

 

 
        7,846,308  

 

 

 
Specialty Retail – 1.0%  
 

Home Depot, Inc. (The)

 
  303,000       2.000     06/15/19       305,404  
  550,000       2.000     04/01/21       552,799  
  330,000       2.700     04/01/23       335,442  
  45,000       3.000     04/01/26       45,794  
  250,000       4.400     03/15/45       274,638  
  300,000       4.250     04/01/46       325,144  
     

 

 

 
        1,839,221  

 

 

 
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals – 2.7%  
 

Apple, Inc.

 
  381,000       2.250     02/23/21       385,233  
  850,000       1.550     08/04/21       838,615  
  20,000       2.150     02/09/22       20,074  
  30,000       2.700     05/13/22       30,783  
  30,000       3.000     02/09/24       30,872  
  475,000       2.850     05/11/24       483,481  
  740,000       3.000     06/20/27       744,850  
  230,000       4.500       02/23/36       262,322  
  470,000       3.850     05/04/43       479,766  
  290,000       4.375     05/13/45       316,120  
  40,000       4.650     02/23/46       45,554  
 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

 
  670,000       3.600       10/15/20       695,678  
Corporate Obligations – (continued)  
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals – (continued)  
 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. – (continued)

 
250,000       4.900       10/15/25     265,846  
  20,000       6.350     10/15/45       21,288  
 

HP, Inc.

 
  70,000       6.000     09/15/41       74,554  
     

 

 

 
        4,695,036  

 

 

 
Tobacco – 0.8%  
 

Altria Group, Inc.

 
  620,000       9.250     08/06/19       705,551  
  391,000       3.875     09/16/46       380,793  
 

Philip Morris International, Inc.

 
  200,000       1.875     02/25/21       197,695  
  20,000       2.750     02/25/26       19,721  
  200,000       4.125     03/04/43       204,028  
     

 

 

 
        1,507,788  

 

 

 
Transportation – 0.4%  
 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC

 
  470,000       4.900       04/01/44       545,746  
  200,000       4.125     06/15/47       210,824  
     

 

 

 
        756,570  

 

 

 
  TOTAL CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS  
  (Cost $142,212,965)     $ 142,647,210  

 

 

 
     
Foreign Corporate Debt – 19.9%  
Banks – 10.8%  
 

Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., MTN (Australia)

 
$ 640,000       2.300 %     06/01/21     $ 642,574  
 

Banco Santander SA (Spain)

 
  400,000       4.250     04/11/27       418,376  
 

Bank of Nova Scotia (The) (Canada)

 
  600,000       2.050     10/30/18       603,168  
  500,000       1.950     01/15/19       502,579  
  700,000       1.650       06/14/19       700,797  
  500,000       2.350     10/21/20       504,597  
 

Barclays PLC (United Kingdom)

 
  140,000       3.200     08/10/21       142,948  
  475,000       4.375     09/11/24       487,635  
  750,000       3.650     03/16/25       757,027  
  250,000       4.337     01/10/28       261,227  
  210,000       4.836     05/09/28       218,681  
 

BNP Paribas SA (France)

 
  620,000       5.000     01/15/21       677,531  
 

Credit Suisse AG (Switzerland)

 
  920,000       5.300     08/13/19       979,082  
 

Credit Suisse Group Funding Guernsey Ltd. (Switzerland)

 
  1,050,000       3.800     09/15/22       1,098,298  
 

Deutsche Bank AG (Germany)

 
  620,000       2.700     07/13/20       624,501  
 

HSBC Holdings PLC (United Kingdom)

 
  200,000       2.950     05/25/21       204,304  
  900,000       2.650     01/05/22       906,160  
  300,000       4.300     03/08/26       324,004  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   13


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Foreign Corporate Debt – (continued)  
Banks – (continued)  
 

HSBC Holdings PLC (United Kingdom) – (continued)

 
$ 200,000       4.375 %       11/23/26     $ 210,654  
  1,280,000       6.500     09/15/37       1,683,363  
 

ING Groep NV (Netherlands)

 
  1,370,000       3.950     03/29/27       1,437,088  
 

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (United Kingdom)

 
  1,120,000       3.000     01/11/22       1,134,505  
  400,000       4.500     11/04/24       422,603  
  365,000       4.650     03/24/26       387,812  
 

Royal Bank of Canada (Canada)

 
  150,000       2.000     12/10/18       151,028  
 

Royal Bank of Canada, GMTN (Canada)

 
  660,000       2.150     03/15/19       666,651  
  500,000       2.150     03/06/20       503,777  
 

Royal Bank of Canada, MTN (Canada)

 
  335,000       2.350     10/30/20       338,278  
 

Santander UK Group Holdings PLC (United Kingdom)

 
  445,000       2.875     08/05/21       449,158  
 

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (Japan)

 
  840,000       2.934     03/09/21       859,224  
 

Toronto-Dominion Bank (The) (Canada)

 
  60,000       1.800       07/13/21       59,590  
 

Toronto-Dominion Bank (The), GMTN (Canada)

 
  625,000       2.500     12/14/20       636,489  
 

Westpac Banking Corp. (Australia)

 
  232,000       2.150     03/06/20       233,639  
  120,000       2.700     08/19/26       117,633  
     

 

 

 
        19,344,981  

 

 

 
Consumer Noncyclical – 1.3%  
 

BAT Capital Corp. (United Kingdom)

 
  640,000       3.222 (a)      08/15/24       646,144  
 

GlaxoSmithKline Capital, Inc. (United Kingdom)

 
  180,000       6.375     05/15/38       247,725  
 

Novartis Capital Corp. (Switzerland)

 
  450,000       2.400     05/17/22       454,353  
  220,000       4.400     05/06/44       248,652  
 

Novartis Securities Investment Ltd. (Switzerland)

 
  650,000       5.125     02/10/19       682,023  
     

 

 

 
        2,278,897  

 

 

 
Energy – 2.0%  
 

BP Capital Markets PLC (United Kingdom)

 
  200,000       2.237     05/10/19       201,586  
  580,000       3.561     11/01/21       612,527  
  20,000       2.500     11/06/22       20,027  
  20,000       3.535     11/04/24       21,084  
  230,000       3.588     04/14/27       238,688  
  1,040,000       3.723     11/28/28       1,088,207  
 

Shell International Finance BV (Netherlands)

 
  200,000       1.375     09/12/19       199,112  
  750,000       1.750     09/12/21       742,383  
  170,000       6.375     12/15/38       231,806  
  190,000       4.375     05/11/45       203,688  
  240,000       4.000     05/10/46       243,916  
     

 

 

 
        3,803,024  

 

 

 
Foreign Corporate Debt – (continued)  
Financial Co. – 0.2%  
 

AerCap Ireland Capital DAC / AerCap Global Aviation Trust
(Netherlands)

 
 
350,000       5.000       10/01/21     379,094  

 

 

 
Food and Beverage – 2.1%  
 

Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance, Inc. (Belgium)

 
  1,600,000       1.900       02/01/19       1,605,858  
  600,000       3.650     02/01/26       626,169  
  530,000       4.700     02/01/36       589,861  
  740,000       4.900     02/01/46       848,522  
     

 

 

 
        3,670,410  

 

 

 
Metals & Mining – 0.2%  
 

Barrick North America Finance LLC (Canada)

 
  200,000       5.750     05/01/43       249,493  
 

Southern Copper Corp. (Peru)

 
  100,000       7.500     07/27/35       129,483  
  140,000       5.875     04/23/45       158,956  
     

 

 

 
        537,932  

 

 

 
Mining – 0.6%  
 

Rio Tinto Finance USA Ltd. (United Kingdom)

 
  25,000       7.125     07/15/28       33,810  
 

Vale Overseas Ltd. (Brazil)

 
  100,000       5.625     09/15/19       108,000  
  690,000       5.875     06/10/21       764,175  
  180,000       6.250     08/10/26       204,525  
     

 

 

 
        1,110,510  

 

 

 
Oil Company-Exploration & Production – 0.2%  
 

Nexen Energy ULC (China)

 
  250,000       6.400     05/15/37       327,576  

 

 

 
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels – 1.2%  
 

Cenovus Energy, Inc. (Canada)

 
  200,000       4.250 (a)      04/15/27       193,440  
  150,000       6.750     11/15/39       161,250  
 

Ecopetrol SA (Colombia)

 
  320,000       5.875     09/18/23       357,200  
  350,000       5.375     06/26/26       373,844  
 

Enbridge, Inc. (Canada)

 
  150,000       4.250     12/01/26       158,598  
  50,000       5.500     12/01/46       58,176  
 

Suncor Energy, Inc. (Canada)

 
  370,000       3.600     12/01/24       382,554  
  190,000       6.500     06/15/38       248,598  
 

TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. (Canada)

 
  180,000       7.625       01/15/39       267,368  
     

 

 

 
        2,201,028  

 

 

 
Pharmaceuticals – 0.0%  
 

AstraZeneca PLC (United Kingdom)

 
  60,000       3.125     06/12/27       60,037  

 

 

 
Tobacco – 0.1%  
 

Reynolds American, Inc. (United Kingdom)

 
  220,000       5.850     08/15/45       267,428  

 

 

 

 

14   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
Foreign Corporate Debt – (continued)  
Wireless Telecommunication Services – 0.2%  
 

America Movil SAB de CV (Mexico)

 
$ 200,000       3.125 %       07/16/22     $ 207,247  
  150,000       6.125     03/30/40       187,285  
     

 

 

 
        394,532  

 

 

 
Wirelines – 1.0%  
 

Deutsche Telekom International Finance BV (Germany)

 
  190,000       8.750     06/15/30       281,769  
 

Telefonica Emisiones SAU (Spain)

 
  1,000,000       5.134     04/27/20       1,079,301  
  230,000       5.213     03/08/47       256,655  
     

 

 

 
        1,617,725  

 

 

 
  TOTAL FOREIGN CORPORATE DEBT  
  (Cost $35,815,966)     $ 35,993,174  

 

 

 

 

Principal
Amount
  Interest
Rate
  Value  
Investment Company – 0.1%(b)  

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund – Institutional Shares

 

183,870   0.93%   $ 183,870  
(Cost $183,870)  

 

 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 98.8%  
(Cost $178,212,801)   $ 178,824,254  

 

 

OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF

    LIABILITIES – 1.2%

    2,172,503  

 

 
NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 180,996,757  

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

(a)

  Exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, such securities may be deemed liquid by the Investment Adviser and may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers in transactions exempt from registration. Total market value of Rule 144A securities amounts to $2,456,020, which represents approximately 1.4% of net assets as of August 31, 2017.

(b)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

GMTN

 

—Global Medium Term Note

LP

 

—Limited Partnership

MTN

 

—Medium Term Note

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   15


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

August 31, 2017

 

        Access
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond ETF
 
  Assets:  
 

Investments at value (cost $178,028,931)

  $ 178,640,384  
 

Investments in Affiliated Underlying Funds, at value (cost $183,870)

    183,870  
 

Cash

    658,955  
 

Receivables:

 
 

Fund shares sold

    22,586,508  
 

Investments sold

    20,105,492  
 

Interest

    2,012,028  
 

Reimbursement from advisor

    379  
  Total assets     224,187,616  
   
  Liabilities:  
 

Payables:

 
 

Investments purchased

    23,057,859  
 

Fund shares redeemed

    20,118,318  
 

Management fees

    14,682  
  Total liabilities     43,190,859  
   
  Net Assets:  
 

Paid-in capital

    180,121,705  
 

Undistributed net investment income

    265,719  
 

Accumulated net realized loss

    (2,120
 

Net unrealized gain

    611,453  
  NET ASSETS   $ 180,996,757  
  SHARES ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING  
 

Shares outstanding no par value (unlimited shares authorized):

    3,600,000  
 

Net asset value per share:

  $ 50.28  

 

16   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Statement of Operations

For the period ended August 31, 2017(a)

 

        Access
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond ETF
 
  Investment income:  
 

Interest

  $ 519,419  
 

Dividends from Affiliated Underlying Funds

    6,285  
  Total investment income     525,704  
   
  Expenses:  
 

Management fees

    23,207  
 

Trustee fees

    3,218  
  Total expenses     26,425  
 

Less — expense reductions

    (1,301
  Net expenses     25,124  
  NET INVESTMENT INCOME     500,580  
   
  Realized and unrealized gain (loss):  
 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 
 

Investments unaffiliated

    (2,120
 

In-kind redemptions

    47,886  
 

Net unrealized gain on:

 
 

Investments unaffiliated

    611,453  
  Net realized and unrealized gain     657,219  
  NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS   $ 1,157,799  

 

  (a)   For the period June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   17


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

For the period ended August 31, 2017(a)

 

        Access
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond ETF
 
  From operations:  
 

Net investment income

  $ 500,580  
 

Net realized gain

    45,766  
 

Net unrealized gain

    611,453  
  Net increase in net assets resulting from operations     1,157,799  
   
  Distributions to shareholders:  
 

From net investment income

    (234,861
  Total distributions to shareholders     (234,861
   
  From share transactions:  
 

Proceeds from sales of shares

    200,212,160  
 

Cost of shares redeemed

    (20,138,341
  Net increase in net assets resulting from share transactions     180,073,819  
  TOTAL INCREASE     180,996,757  
   
  Net assets:  
 

Beginning of period

  $  
 

End of period

  $ 180,996,757  
  Undistributed net investment income   $ 265,719  

 

  (a)   For the period June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

18   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

Financial Highlights

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout the Period*

 

        Access
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond ETF*
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:  
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 49.90  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.32  
 

Net realized and unrealized loss

    0.27  
 

Total gain from investment operations

    0.59  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.21
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 50.28  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 50.24  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     1.19
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 180,997  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.13 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.14 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    2.65 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    0 %(e) 

 

   *   For the period June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2017.
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
  (e)   Less than 0.5%

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   19


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements

August 31, 2017

 

1. ORGANIZATION

 

Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) is a series of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”) which is an open-end diversified management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), consisting of multiple series. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 2009.

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”).

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (formerly, Goldman, Sachs & Co.) (“Goldman Sachs”), serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to a management agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Trust. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). Market prices for the Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund issues and redeems shares at its respective NAV only in blocks of a specified number of shares, or multiples thereof, referred to as “Creation Units”. Creation Units are generally issued for cash and redeemed principally in-kind for a basket of securities and a cash amount. Shares generally trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit at market prices that change throughout the day. Only those that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) may do business directly with the Fund.

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and require management to make estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.

A.  Investment Valuation — The Fund’s valuation policy is to value investments at fair value.

B.  Investment Income and Investments — Investment income includes interest income, dividend income, and securities lending income. Interest income is accrued daily and adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Dividend income is recognized on ex-dividend date or, for certain foreign securities, as soon as such information is obtained subsequent to the ex-dividend date. Investment transactions are reflected on trade date. Realized gains and losses are calculated using identified cost. Investment transactions are recorded on the following business day for daily NAV calculations. Investment income is recorded net of any foreign withholding taxes, less any amounts reclaimable. The Fund may file withholding tax reclaims in certain jurisdictions to recover a portion of amounts previously withheld. Any foreign capital gains tax is accrued daily based upon net unrealized gains, and is payable upon sale of such investments.

C.  Expenses — Expenses incurred directly by the Fund are charged to the Fund, and certain expenses incurred by the Trust that may not solely relate to the Fund are allocated to the Fund and the other applicable funds of the Trust on a straight-line and/or pro-rata basis, depending upon the nature of the expenses, and are accrued daily.

 

20


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

D.  Federal Taxes and Distributions to Shareholders — It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies (mutual funds) and to distribute each year substantially all of its investment company taxable income and capital gains to its shareholders. Accordingly, the Fund is not required to make any provisions for the payment of federal income tax. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income and capital gains distributions, if any, are declared and paid according to the following schedule:

 

Fund        

Income Distributions

Declared/Paid

  

Capital Gains Distributions

Declared/Paid

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

       Monthly    Annually

Net capital losses, if any, are carried forward to future fiscal years and may be used to the extent allowed by the Code to offset any future capital gains. Losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. Utilization of capital loss carryforwards will reduce the requirement of future capital gains distributions.

The characterization of distributions to shareholders for financial reporting purposes is determined in accordance with federal income tax rules, which may differ from GAAP. The source of the Fund’s distributions may be shown in the accompanying financial statements as either from net investment income, net realized gain or capital. Certain components of the Fund’s net assets on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities reflect permanent GAAP/tax differences based on the appropriate tax character.

F.  Foreign Currency Translation — The accounting records and reporting currency of the Fund is maintained in U.S.

dollars. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rates at the close of each business day. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on investments is included within net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments. Changes in the value of other assets and liabilities as a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates are included in the Statement of Operations within net change in unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency translations. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars on the date the transaction occurred, the effects of which are included within net realized gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions.

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

U.S. GAAP defines the fair value of a financial instrument as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price); the Fund’s policy is to use the market approach. GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The levels used for classifying investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in these investments. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

Level 2 — Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable

(including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, volatility and credit spreads), either directly or indirectly;

Level 3 — Prices or valuations that require significant unobservable inputs (including GSAM’s assumptions in determining fair value measurement).

 

21


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the hierarchy. In accordance with the Fund’s policy, transfers between different levels of the fair value hierarchy resulting from such changes are deemed to have occurred as of the beginning of the reporting period.

The Board of Trustees (“Trustees”) has approved Valuation Procedures that govern the valuation of the portfolio investments held by the Fund, including investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Trustees have delegated to GSAM day-to-day responsibility for implementing and maintaining internal controls and procedures related to the valuation of the Fund’s investments. To assess the continuing appropriateness of pricing sources and methodologies, GSAM regularly performs price verification procedures and issues challenges as necessary to third party pricing vendors or brokers, and any differences are reviewed in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

A.  Level 1 and Level 2 Fair Value Investments — The valuation techniques and significant inputs used in determining the fair values for investments classified as Level 1 and Level 2 are as follows:

Debt Securities — Debt securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued daily on the basis of quotations supplied by dealers or an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which consider: (i) yield or price with respect to bonds that are considered comparable in characteristics such as rating, interest rate and maturity date or (ii) quotations from securities dealers to determine current value. With the exception of treasury securities of G8 countries, which are generally classified as Level 1, these investments are generally classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Exchange Traded Funds — Investments in ETFs are valued daily at the last sale price or official closing price on the principal exchange or system on which the investment is traded. To the extent these investments are actively traded, they are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy, otherwise they are generally classified as Level 2.

Money Market Funds — Investments in the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund (“Underlying Fund”) are valued at the NAV of the Institutional Share Class on the day of valuation. These investments are generally classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. For information regarding an Underlying Fund’s accounting policies and investment holdings, please see the Underlying Fund’s shareholder report.

B.  Level 3 Fair Value Investments — To the extent that significant inputs to valuation models and other alternative pricing sources are unobservable, or if quotations are not readily available, or if GSAM believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Fund’s investments may be determined under Valuation Procedures approved by the Trustees. GSAM, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may make an adjustment to the most recent valuation prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining a Fund’s NAV. Significant events which could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions; or unscheduled market closings. Significant events which could also affect a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; ratings downgrades; and bankruptcies. At August 31, 2017 the Fund did not hold level 3 securities.

 

22


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

C.  Fair Value Hierarchy — The following is a summary of the Fund’s investments classified in the fair value hierarchy as of August 31, 2017:

 

ACCESS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Fixed Income

            

Corporate Obligations

   $        $ 142,647,210        $         —  

Foreign Corporate Debt

              35,993,174           

Investment Company

     183,870                    
Total    $ 183,870        $ 178,640,384        $  

For further information regarding security characteristics, see the Schedule of Investments.

 

4. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

A.  Management Agreement — Under the Agreement, GSAM manages the Fund, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees.

As compensation for the services rendered pursuant to the Agreement, the assumption of the expenses related thereto and administration of the Fund’s business affairs, including providing facilities, GSAM is entitled to a management fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, equal to an annual percentage rate of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Fund operates under a unitary management fee structure. Under the unitary fee structure, GSAM is responsible for paying substantially all the expenses of the Fund, excluding payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses. As the Fund directly pays fees and expenses of the independent Trustees, the management fee collected by GSAM will be reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the Fund to the independent Trustees.

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, contractual and effective net unitary management fees with GSAM were at the following rates:

 

Contractual Unitary
Management Fee
       Effective Net Unitary
Management Fee
*
 
  0.14%          0.13%  

 

*   Effective Net Unitary Management Fee includes the impact of management fee waivers of affiliated underlying funds.

The Fund invests in Institutional Shares of the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund, which is an affiliated Underlying Fund. GSAM has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee payable by the Fund in an amount equal to the management fee it earns as an investment adviser to any of the affiliated Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, GSAM waived $1,301 of the Fund’s management fee.

B.  Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plans — The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”), subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of the Fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees.

 

23


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

4. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS (continued)

 

C.  Other Transactions with Affiliates — The Fund may purchase securities from, or sell securities to, an affiliated fund provided the affiliation is solely due to having a common investment adviser, common officers, or common trustees. The following table provides information about the Fund’s investment in the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017:

 

Fund        

Beginning

value as of
August 31, 2016

     Purchases
at Cost
     Proceeds
from Sales
    

Ending

value as of
August 31, 2017

     Shares as of
August 31, 2017
     Dividend
Income
 

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF*

       $      $ 161,754,759      $ 161,570,889      $ 183,870        183,870      $ 6,285  

 

*   Commencement of operations, June 6, 2017.

 

5. CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

The Trust issues and redeems shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without an initial sales load, at NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined in the Statement of Additional Information), of an order in proper form. Shares of the Fund may only be directly purchased or redeemed by certain financial institutions (each an “Authorized Participant”). An Authorized Participant is either (1) a “Participating Party” or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation; or (2) a Depository Trust Company participant; which, in either case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor. Retail investors will typically not qualify as an Authorized Participant or have the resources to buy and sell whole Creation Units. Therefore, they will be unable to purchase or redeem the shares directly from the Fund. Rather, most retail investors will purchase shares in the secondary market at market prices with the assistance of a broker and may be subject to customary brokerage commissions or fees. Fixed creation and redemption transaction fees are imposed in connection with creations and redemptions.

Authorized Participants transacting in Creation Units for cash may also pay a variable charge to compensate the relevant fund for certain transaction costs (e.g. taxes on currency or other financial transactions, and brokerage costs) and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolio securities. Such variable charges, if any, are included in “Proceeds from sale of shares” in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets.

Share activity for the period ended August 31, 2017 is as follows:

 

     Access Investment Grade Corporate
Bond ETF
 
  

 

 

 
     Shares        Dollars  
  

 

 

 
Fund Share Activity (a)        

Shares Sold

     4,000,001        $ 200,195,265  

Shares Redeemed

     (400,001        (20,110,802

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

     3,600,000        $ 180,084,463  

 

(a)   For the period June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017

 

24


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

6. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

 

The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of long term securities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

       $ 198,438,926        $ 200,700  

The proceeds from in-kind creation and redemption transactions for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases      Sales  

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

       $      $ 20,105,493  

 

7. TAX INFORMATION

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017 was as follows:

      Access Investment Grade
Corporate Bond ETF
 

Distributions paid from:

  

Ordinary Income*

   $ 234,861  

Total taxable distributions

   $ 234,861  

As of August 31, 2017, the components of accumulated earnings (losses) on a tax-basis were as follows:

      Access Investment Grade
Corporate Bond ETF
 

Undistributed ordinary income — net

   $ 265,719  

Total undistributed earnings

   $ 265,719  

Capital loss carryforwards:

  

Perpetual Short Term

   $ (2,120

Unrealized gains (losses) — net

   $ 611,453  

Total accumulated earnings (losses) net

   $ 875,052  

 

25


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

7. TAX INFORMATION (continued)

 

As of August 31, 2017, the Fund’s aggregate security unrealized gains and losses based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

      Access Investment Grade
Corporate Bond ETF
 

Tax Cost

   $ 178,212,801  

Gross unrealized gain

     773,672  

Gross unrealized loss

     (162,219

Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities

   $ 611,453  

There is no difference between GAAP-basis and tax-basis unrealized gains (losses) for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.

In order to present certain components of the Fund’s capital accounts on a tax-basis, certain reclassifications have been recorded to the Fund’s accounts. These reclassifications have no impact on the net asset value of the Fund and result primarily from Redemptions In-Kind.

Fund             

Paid-in

Capital

      

Accumulated

Net Realized

Gain (Loss)

 

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

              $ 47,886        $ (47,886

GSAM has reviewed the Fund’s tax positions for all open tax years (the current year) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. Such open tax year remains subject to examination and adjustment by tax authorities.

 

8. OTHER RISKS

The Fund’s portfolio’s risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Interest Rate Risk — When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. The risks associated with increasing rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and the Fund’s investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by the Fund.

 

26


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

8. OTHER RISKS (continued)

 

Index Risk — FTSE Fixed Income LLC (the “Index Provider”) constructs the Fund’s Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in its Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of such third party data. The Index is new and has a limited performance history. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk — As a shareholder of another investment company, including an ETF, the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any net management fees and other expenses paid by such other investment companies, in addition to the fees and expenses regularly borne by the Fund. ETFs are subject to risks that do not apply to conventional mutual funds, including but not limited to the following: (i) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or a discount to their NAV; and (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained.

Market and Credit Risks — In the normal course of business, the Fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk). Additionally, the Fund may also be exposed to credit risk in the event that an issuer or guarantor fails to perform or that an institution or entity with which the Fund has unsettled or open transactions defaults.

 

27


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

8. OTHER RISKS (continued)

 

Market Trading Risk — The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The Investment Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund’s Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time.

Tracking Error Risk — Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to its Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

Foreign Countries Risk — Investing in foreign markets may involve special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States or other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.

 

28


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

9. INDEMNIFICATIONS

 

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, its Trustees, officers, employees and agents are indemnified, to the extent permitted by the Act and state law, against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. Additionally, in the course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that has not yet occurred. However, GSAM believes the risk of loss under these arrangements to be remote.

 

10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Subsequent events after the Statement of Assets and Liabilities date have been evaluated and GSAM has concluded that there is no impact requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

29


Report of Independent Registered Public

Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Trustees of

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust and Shareholders of the Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF:

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”), a fund of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, as of August 31, 2017, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for the period June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit, which included confirmation of securities as of August 31, 2017 by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, transfer agent of the underlying funds and the application of alternative auditing procedures where securities purchased confirmations had not been received, provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

October 24, 2017

 

30


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Fund Expenses — For the Period Ended 8/31/2017  (Unaudited)

As a shareholder you incur ongoing costs, which may include management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in Shares of the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other exchange-traded funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period from June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) and held for the entire period ended August 31, 2017, which represents a period of 87 days of a 365 day year (or less where indicated).

Actual Expenses — The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000=8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes — The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond  ETF(a)  
    

Beginning
Account Value

6/6/17

    Ending
Account Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid
*
 

Actual based on NAV

  $ 1,000     $ 1,011.90     $ 0.31  

Hypothetical 5% return

  $ 1,000     $ 1,011.61   $ 0.31  

 

  *   Expenses for the Fund are calculated using the Fund’s annualized net expense ratio, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of net assets for the period ended August 31, 2017. Expenses are calculated by multiplying the annualized net expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the most recent fiscal year; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the fiscal year.  
      The annualized net expense ratio for the period is as follows:

 

Fund        

Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

     0.13

 

  +   Hypothetical expenses are based on the Fund’s actual annualized net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses.  

 

  (a)   The Fund commenced operations on June 6, 2017.  

 

31


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Statement Regarding Basis for Initial Approval of Management Agreement (Unaudited)

 

Background

The Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) is a newly-organized investment portfolio of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”) that commenced investment operations on June 6, 2017. At a meeting held on May 15-16, 2017 (the “Meeting”) in connection with the Fund’s organization, the Board of Trustees, including all of the Trustees present who are not parties to the Trust’s investment management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) or “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) of any party thereto (the “Independent Trustees”) approved the Management Agreement with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Investment Adviser”).

At the Meeting, the Trustees reviewed the Management Agreement with respect to the Fund, including information regarding the terms of the Management Agreement; the nature, extent and quality of the Investment Adviser’s anticipated services; the fees and expenses to be paid by the Fund; a comparison of the Fund’s proposed management fees and anticipated expenses with those paid by other similar exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”); the Investment Adviser’s proposal to limit certain expenses of the Fund that exceed a specified level; potential benefits to be derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund; and potential benefits to be derived by the Fund from its relationship with the Investment Adviser. Various information was also provided at prior meetings at which the Fund was discussed.

In connection with the Meeting, the Trustees received written materials and oral presentations on the topics covered. The Independent Trustees were advised by their independent legal counsel regarding their responsibilities under applicable law. In evaluating the Management Agreement at the Meeting, the Trustees relied upon information included in a presentation made by the Investment Adviser at the Meeting and information received at prior Board meetings, as well as on their knowledge of the Investment Adviser resulting from their meetings and other interactions over time.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of the Services Provided Under the Management Agreement

As part of their review, the Trustees considered the nature, extent, and quality of the services to be provided by the Investment Adviser. In this regard, the Trustees considered both the investment advisory services and the other, non-advisory services that would be provided to the Fund by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees also considered information about the Fund’s structure, investment objective, strategies and other characteristics. In particular, they noted that the Fund would operate as a passively-managed ETF that seeks to track an index developed and maintained by a third-party service provider. The Trustees noted the experience and capabilities of the key personnel of the the Investment Adviser who would be providing services to the Fund. In particular, the Trustees considered the Investment Adviser’s extensive experience in managing portfolios that invest in fixed income securities. The Trustees concluded that the Investment Adviser would be able to commit substantial financial and other resources to the Fund. They also considered that although the Fund was new (and therefore had no performance data to evaluate), the Investment Adviser has committed substantial financial and operational resources to ETFs and has extensive experience managing other types of registered investment companies.

Costs of Services to be Provided and Profitability

The Trustees considered the unitary fee rate payable by the Fund under the Management Agreement. In this regard, the Trustees considered information on the services to be rendered by the Investment Adviser to the Fund, which include both advisory and administrative services directed to the needs and operations of the Fund as an ETF. The Trustees considered that the Fund would pay a single fee to the Investment Adviser and the Investment Adviser would then pay all of the Fund’s ordinary operating expenses, including transfer agency, custody, administration, legal, and audit fees. They noted that license fees would be payable by the Investment Adviser to Citigroup Index LLC for the use of the index. They compared the Fund’s management fee and projected expense ratio to similar information for comparable ETFs advised by other, unaffiliated investment management firms, as well as the peer group and category medians. The comparisons of the Fund’s expense ratios were prepared by a third-party provider of mutual fund and ETF data (the “Outside Data Provider”). The Trustees concluded that this information was useful in evaluating the reasonableness of the fees to be paid by the Fund. The Trustees concluded that the Investment Adviser’s management of the Fund likely would benefit the Fund and its shareholders.

The Trustees recognized that there was not yet profitability data to evaluate for the Fund, but considered the Investment Adviser’s representations that (i) such data would be provided after the Fund commenced operations, and (ii) the Fund was not expected to be profitable to the Investment Adviser and its affiliates initially.

Economies of Scale

The Trustees noted that the Fund will not have fee breakpoints. They considered the Fund’s projected asset levels and information comparing the fee rates charged by the Investment Adviser with fee rates charged to other ETFs in the Fund’s peer group.

 

32


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Statement Regarding Basis for Initial Approval of Management Agreement (Unaudited) (continued)

 

Other Benefits to the Investment Adviser and Its Affiliates

The Trustees considered the other benefits expected to be derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including: (a) the Investment Adviser’s ability to leverage the infrastructure designed to service the Fund on behalf of its other clients; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to cross-market other products and services to Fund shareholders; (c) the Investment Adviser’s ability to negotiate better pricing with custodians on behalf of its other clients, as a result of the relationship with the Fund; and (d) the possibility that the working relationship between the Investment Adviser and the Fund’s third party service providers may cause those service providers to be open to doing business with other areas of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”).

Other Benefits to the Fund and Their Shareholders

The Trustees also noted that the Fund receives (or is expected to receive) certain potential benefits as a result of its relationship with the Investment Adviser, including: (a) enhanced servicing from vendors because of the volume of business generated by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to hire and retain qualified personnel to provide services to the Fund because of the reputation of the Goldman Sachs organization; and (c) the Fund’s access to certain affiliated distribution channels.

Conclusion

In connection with their consideration of the Management Agreement for the Fund, the Trustees gave weight to each of the factors described above, but did not identify any particular factor as controlling their decision. After deliberation and consideration of all of the information provided, including the factors described above, the Trustees concluded, in the exercise of their business judgment, that the unitary fee paid by the Fund was reasonable. The Trustees concluded that the engagement of the Investment Adviser likely would benefit the Fund and its shareholders and that the Management Agreement should be approved for a two-year period.

 

33


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited)

Independent Trustees

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

Caroline Dorsa

Age: 58

  Trustee   Since 2016  

Ms. Dorsa is retired. She was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (a generation and energy services company) (2009-2015); Senior Vice President, Merck & Co, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2008-2009 and 1987-2007); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2007-2008); and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Avaya, Inc. (a technology company) (2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   Biogen Inc. (a biotechnology company); Intellia Therapeutics Inc. (a gene-editing company); Illumina, Inc. (a life sciences company)

Linda A. Lang

Age: 59

  Trustee   Since 2016  

Ms. Lang is retired. She is Chair of the Board of Directors, (2016-Present); and Member of the Board of Directors, WD-40 Company (2004-Present); and was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (2005-2014); and Director, President and Chief Operating Officer, Jack in the Box, Inc. (a restaurant company) (2003-2005). Previously, Ms. Lang served as an Advisory Board Member of Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund (February 2016-March 2016).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   WD-40 Company (a global consumer products company)

Michael Latham

Age: 51

  Trustee   Since 2015  

Mr. Latham is retired. Formerly, he held senior management positions with the iShares exchange-traded fund business, including Chairman (2011-2014); Global Head (2010-2011); U.S. Head (2007-2010); and Chief Operating Officer (2003-2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   None

Lawrence W. Stranghoener

Age: 63

  Chairman of the Board of Trustees   Trustee Since 2015; Chairman Since 2017  

Mr. Stranghoener is retired. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kennametal, Inc. (2003-Present); Director, Aleris Corporation and Aleris International, Inc. (a producer of aluminum rolled products) (2011-Present); and was formerly Interim Chief Executive Officer (2014); and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2004-2014), Mosaic Company (a fertilizer manufacturing company).

 

Chairman of the Board of Trustees — Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund; and Goldman Sachs ETF Trust.

  21   Kennametal Inc. (a global manufacturer and distributor of tooling and industrial materials)
         

 

34


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Interested Trustee*

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

James A. McNamara

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  142   None
         
*   This person is considered to be an “Interested Trustee” because he holds a position with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.
1    Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline L. Kraus. Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns, retires or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust; or (c) the termination of the Trust.
3    The Goldman Sachs Fund Complex includes certain other companies listed above for each respective Trustee. As of August 31, 2017, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust consisted of 19 portfolios (eight of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (88 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 14 portfolios; Goldman Sachs Trust II consisted of 17 portfolios (16 of which offered shares to the public); and Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund each consisted of one portfolio.
4    This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the Act.

Additional information about the Trustees is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States of America): 1-800-526-7384.

 

35


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Officers of the Trust*

 

 

Name, Address and Age1   Positions Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

James A. McNamara

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Caroline L. Kraus

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 40

  Secretary   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016- Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2015); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012- Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2011); and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (2002-2006).

 

Secretary — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending Corp.; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Scott M. McHugh

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 45

  Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007-December 2015); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005-2007); and Director (2005-2007), Vice President (2000-2005), and Assistant Vice President (1998-2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998-2007).

 

Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Joseph F. DiMaria

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 49

  Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer   Since 2017  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2015-Present) and Vice President — Mutual Fund Administration, Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (May 2010-October 2015).

 

Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

     
*   Represents a partial list of officers of the Trust. Additional information about all the officers is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States): 1-800-621-2550.
1    Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.

 

36


FUNDS PROFILE

 

Goldman Sachs ETFs

 

 

LOGO

 

Goldman Sachs is a premier financial services firm, known since 1869 for creating thoughtful and customized investment solutions in complex global markets.

Today, the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs serves a diverse set of clients worldwide, including private institutions, public entities and individuals. With approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under supervision as of June 30, 2017, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (“GSAM”) has portfolio management teams located around the world and our investment professionals bring firsthand knowledge of local markets to every investment decision. Assets under supervision includes assets under management and other client assets for which Goldman Sachs does not have full discretion. GSAM leverages the resources of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. subject to legal, internal and regulatory restrictions.

 

GOLDMAN SACHS EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF
Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

Goldman Sachs Access High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

 

INDEX DISCLAIMERS

The Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index was developed and is calculated and maintained by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”). FTSE is not affiliated with the Fund or GSAM. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by FTSE or any of its affiliates and FTSE makes no representation to any owner or prospective owner of the Fund regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly, or the ability of the Fund to track the price and yield performance of the Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index or the ability of the Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index to track general bond market performance. FTSE’s only relationship to GSAM (“Licensee”) is the licensing of certain information, data, trademarks and trade names of FTSE or its affiliates. The Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index is determined, composed and calculated by FTSE without regard to the Fund. FTSE has no obligation to take the needs of the owners or prospective owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Citi Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index. FTSE is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of the shares to be issued by the Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of the shares to be issued by the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares to be issued by the Fund are to be converted into cash. FTSE has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

FTSE DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CITI GOLDMAN SACHS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN, OR OF ANY COMMUNICATIONS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO, AND FTSE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR DELAYS THEREIN. FTSE MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, OWNERS OR PROSPECTIVE OWNERS OF SHARES OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE CITI GOLDMAN SACHS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. FTSE MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE CITI GOLDMAN SACHS INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL FTSE HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE.

Data and information contained herein regarding the Index is proprietary to FTSE or its licensors, and reproduction of such data and information is prohibited except with the prior written permission of FTSE. CITI is a trademark and service mark of Citigroup Inc. or its affiliates, is used and registered throughout the world, and is used under license for certain purposes by GSAM. The CITI mark is used under license by FTSE. USBIG is a registered service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

The ActiveBeta® Indices are trademarks of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and have been licensed for use by Goldman Sachs ETF Trust.


TRUSTEES

Lawrence W. Stranghoener, Chairman

Caroline Dorsa

Linda A. Lang

Michael Latham

James A. McNamara

 

OFFICERS

James A. McNamara, President

Scott M. McHugh, Treasurer, Senior Vice President and
Principal Financial Officer

Joseph F. DiMaria, Assistant Treasurer and Principal
Accounting Officer

Caroline L. Kraus, Secretary

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

Transfer Agent

 

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

Investment Adviser

ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

Distributor

 

Visit our Website at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282

The reports concerning the Fund included in this shareholder report may contain certain forward-looking statements about the factors that may affect the performance of the Fund in the future. These statements are based on Fund management’s predictions and expectations concerning certain future events and their expected impact on the Fund, such as performance of the economy as a whole and of specific industry sectors, changes in the levels of interest rates, the impact of developing world events, and other factors that may influence the future performance of the Fund. Management believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, although they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual events may cause adjustments in portfolio management strategies from those currently expected to be employed.

A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available (i) without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-621-2550; and (ii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC’’) web site at http://www.sec.gov.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Qs. The Fund’s Form N-Qs are available on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov within 60 days after the Fund’s first and third fiscal quarters. The Fund’s Form N-Qs may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may also be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Form N-Qs may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-621-2550.

Fund holdings and allocations shown are as of August 31, 2017 and may not be representative of future investments. Fund holdings should not be relied on in making investment decisions and should not be construed as research or investment advice regarding particular securities. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.

ETF Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their net asset value (“NAV”) only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

The Fund is recently or newly organized and has limited operating history.

Economic and market forecasts presented herein reflect our judgment as of the date of this presentation and are subject to change without notice. These forecasts do not take into account the specific investment objectives, restrictions, tax and financial situation or other needs of any specific client. Actual data will vary and may not be reflected here. These forecasts are subject to high levels of uncertainty that may affect actual performance. Accordingly, these forecasts should be viewed as merely representative of a broad range of possible outcomes. These forecasts are estimated, based on assumptions, and are subject to significant revision and may change materially as economic and market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to these forecasts. Case studies and examples are for illustrative purposes only.

THIS MATERIAL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY ON THE BASIS THAT IT WILL NOT CONSTITUTE INVESTMENT OR OTHER ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION RELATING TO ANY PERSON’S OR PLAN’S INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS, AND GOLDMAN SACHS IS NOT A FIDUCIARY OR ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO ANY PERSON OR PLAN BY REASON OF PROVIDING THE MATERIAL OR CONTENT HEREIN INCLUDING UNDER THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974 OR DEPARTMENT OF LABOR REGULATIONS. PLAN SPONSORS AND OTHER FIDUCIARIES SHOULD CONSIDER THEIR OWN CIRCUMSTANCES IN ASSESSING ANY POTENTIAL COURSE OF ACTION.

This material is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by a current Prospectus or summary prospectus, if applicable. Investors should consider the Fund’s objective, risks, and charges and expenses, and read the summary prospectus, if available, and/or the Prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The summary prospectus, if available, and the Prospectus contain this and other information about the Fund and may be obtained from your authorized dealer or from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC by calling 1-800-621-2550.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. is the distributor of the Goldman Sachs ETF Funds. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is unaffiliated with Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

©2017 Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved. 107200-TMPL-10/2017-629368 AIGCPBNDETFAR-17/GST523/312


Goldman Sachs Funds

 

LOGO

 

 

 
Annual Report      

August 31, 2017

 
     

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs

     

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF

     

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

     

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

     

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

     

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

     

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

ActiveBeta is a registered trademark of GSAM.

 

LOGO


Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Investment Process

    1  

Portfolio Management Discussion and Performance Summaries

    3  

Schedules of Investments

    41  

Financial Statements

    92  

Financial Highlights

    98  

Notes to Financial Statements

    104  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    117  

Other Information

    118  

 

     
NOT FDIC-INSURED   May Lose Value   No Bank Guarantee


INVESTMENT PROCESS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs

 

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

The investment objective of each of the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (each, a “Fund”), is to seek to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of its respective underlying index (each, an “Index”).

Each Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.

Each Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities within its applicable universe of issuers. Each Index is constructed using the patented ActiveBeta® Portfolio Construction Methodology, which was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns. These factors include value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals,” such as book value and free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). Given each Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track its Index, each Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Index Provider”) constructs each Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves two steps.

Step 1

In the first step, individual factor subindexes for value, momentum, quality and low volatility (the “ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes”) are created from the constituents of the applicable Reference Index, a market capitalization-weighted index. To construct each ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex, all constituents in the applicable Reference Index are assigned a “factor score” based on certain specified measurements (for example, in the case of the value factor, the factor score is based on a composite of book value-to-price, sales-to-price and free cash flow-to-price). Securities with a factor score that is above a fixed “Cut-off Score” receive an overweight in the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the applicable Reference Index and securities with a factor score that is below the Cut-off Score receive an underweight in the ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the applicable Reference Index. Accordingly, the magnitude of overweight or underweight that a security receives in constructing the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex is determined by its attractiveness when evaluated based on the relevant factor. Each Index only includes long positions (i.e., short positions are impermissible), so the smallest weight for any given security is zero.

Step 2

The ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes are combined in equal weights to form each Index.

Each Index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis in accordance with the published rebalancing schedule of the applicable Reference Index. The rules-based process used to construct each

 

1


INVESTMENT PROCESS

 

Index incorporates the ActiveBeta® Turnover Minimization Technique, which seeks to reduce turnover within each Index.

* * *

At the end of each Fund’s Reporting Period, we continued to believe in the existence and persistence of certain equity common factors. We further believed that in capturing common factors, investment efficiency (risk-adjusted returns) can be improved by enhancing the informational efficiency and diversification of individual common factor portfolios. Additionally, we advocate the pursuit of factor diversification strategies, which combine individual common factor portfolios, as such strategies tend to dominate individual factors. A passive capture of informationally-efficient and diversified common factor strategies potentially delivers attractive after-cost information ratios.

 

2


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the 12-month period ended August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 22.49% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 22.61% based on market price. The Index returned 22.77%, and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net, unhedged, USD) (“MSCI Emerging Markets Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, and the reference index for the Index, returned 24.53% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had an NAV of $28.03 per share on August 31, 2016 and ended the Reporting Period with an NAV of $33.73 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $33.74 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns, and its performance is compared to that of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Because the Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index, the discussion below compared the performance of the Fund to that of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, and overweights and underweights relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index discussed below resulted from the Fund’s replication of the Index rather than a decision to overweight or underweight a particular sector, country or stock.

 

    The Fund posted solid double-digit absolute gains but underperformed the MSCI Emerging Markets Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV. Amongst underlying factors, Low Volatility and Quality detracted from relative results, while Momentum and Value contributed positively during the Reporting Period. Low Volatility is a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time. Quality refers to sustainable profitability over time. Momentum is whether a company’s share price is trending up or down. Value refers to how attractively a stock is priced relative to its fundamentals, such as book value and free cash flow.

 

Q   Which sectors and countries contributed most positively to the Fund’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A  

Index constituents in the consumer staples, information technology and telecommunication services sectors detracted most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Emerging

 

3


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

Markets Index during the Reporting Period. Partially offsetting these detractors were Index constituents in the consumer discretionary, energy and industrials sectors, which contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

 

    From a country perspective, Index constituents in South Korea, Taiwan and Brazil detracted the most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index during the Reporting Period. Conversely, Index constituents in Poland, Qatar and India contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Fund’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, underweight positions in Brazilian materials company Vale and China-based Internet content and e-commerce services provider Alibaba Group Holding and an overweight position in South Korean consumer staples company Amorepacific detracted most (0.35%, 3.43% and 0.25% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Vale and Alibaba Group Holding each generated a robust double-digit gain during the Reporting Period, while Amorepacific posted a double-digit decline during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Fund’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, overweight positions in Chinese consumer discretionary firm Geely Automobile Holdings and Chinese K-12 after-school tutoring services provider TAL Education Group and having no exposure to India-based bank Axis Bank contributed most positively (0.42%, 0.06% and 0.00%1 of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Geely Automobile Holdings and TAL Education Group each posted a robust triple-digit gain during the Reporting Period, while Axis Bank posted a flat return during the Reporting Period.

 

  1    Some weights are 0.00% at August 31, 2017 because those positions were taken out during the most recent rebalance given the Index construction methodology.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, however, during the Reporting Period futures contracts were used to equitize cash.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and the reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?2

 

     Sector Name   Fund3      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     MSCI Emerging
Markets Index
 
  Information     25.42      24.54      26.87
  Technology        
  Financials     22.31        22.76        23.90  
  Consumer Staples     10.89        11.20        6.56  
  Consumer     10.48        10.50        10.22  
  Discretionary        
  Energy     7.18        7.16        6.63  
  Telecommunication Services     6.51        6.78        5.24  
  Materials     6.45        6.38        7.46  
  Health Care     2.93        2.87        2.22  
  Utilities     2.90        3.18        2.59  
  Industrials     2.48        2.55        5.45  
    Real Estate     2.46        2.09        2.82  

 

  2    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index.

 

  3    Country and sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

4


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

Q   What was the Fund’s country positioning relative to the Index and the reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?2

 

     Country Name   Fund3      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     MSCI Emerging
Markets Index
 
  China     30.64      29.39      29.10
  Korea     15.63        15.48        14.61  
  Taiwan     11.02        11.05        11.85  
  India     8.74        9.67        8.70  
  Brazil     8.35        8.57        7.23  
  South Africa     6.25        6.18        6.79  
  Mexico     3.30        3.09        3.57  
  Russia     3.19        3.14        3.26  
  Indonesia     2.24        2.21        2.28  
  Poland     1.92        1.89        1.36  
  Chile     1.80        1.82        1.23  
  Malaysia     1.57        1.98        2.24  
  Turkey     1.10        1.11        1.21  
  Thailand     0.97        1.07        2.16  
  United Arab Emirates     0.62        0.52        0.73  
  Qatar     0.55        0.45        0.61  
  Hungary     0.55        0.55        0.35  
  Colombia     0.39        0.29        0.44  
  Egypt     0.36        0.42        0.13  
  Greece     0.32        0.33        0.37  
  Philippines     0.27        0.36        1.09  
  Peru     0.22        0.22        0.39  
  Czech Republic     0.00        0.00        0.18  
    Pakistan     0.00        0.22        0.10  

 

  2    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index.

 

  3    Country and sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

5


FUND BASICS

 

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017       
  Market Price1   $ 33.74  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 33.73  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com.

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
    

September 1, 2016–

August 31, 2017

   Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    GS ActiveBeta®
EME Index3
    MSCI EM Index4  
    Shares      22.49     22.61     22.77     24.53

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculation assumes all management fees and operating expenses incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times.

 

  3    The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of emerging market issuers. The Index seeks to capture common sources of active equity returns, including value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals”, such as book value or free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low dgree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4    The MSCI Emerging Markets Index captures large and mid cap representation across 24 Emerging Markets countries. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown. In their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

6


FUND BASICS

 

 

  STANDARDIZED TOTAL RETURNS5  
     For the period ended 6/30/17   One Year      Since Inception      Inception Date  
  Shares (based on NAV)     20.58      15.18      9/25/15  
    Shares (based on Market Price)     19.99        15.27        9/25/15  

 

  5    The Standardized Total Returns are average annual total returns as of the most recent calendar quarter-end. They assume reinvestment of all distributions. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

  EXPENSE RATIOS6  
          Net Expense Ratio (Current)        Gross Expense Ratio
(Before expense limitation)
 
    Shares     0.50        0.61

 

  6    The expense ratios of the Fund, both current (net of any expense limitation) and before expense limitation (gross of any expense limitation) are as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratios disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report. Pursuant to a contractual arrangement, the Fund’s expense limitation will remain in effect permanently and the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangements without the approval of the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/177
     Holding   % of Net Assets     Line of Business   Country
  Tencent Holdings Ltd.     4.4   Information Technology   China
  Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.     3.8     Information Technology   South Korea
  Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.     3.3     Information Technology   China
  ADR      
  Taiwan Semiconductor     3.2     Information Technology   Taiwan
  Manufacturing Co. Ltd.      
  China Construction Bank     1.4     Financials   China
  Corp., Class H      
  China Mobile Ltd.     1.2     Telecommunication
Services
  China
  Naspers Ltd., Class N     1.2     Consumer Discretionary   South
Africa
  Industrial & Commercial     1.1     Financials   China
  Bank of China Ltd., Class H      
  Baidu, Inc. ADR     1.1     Information Technology   China
  Hon Hai Precision Industry     1.0     Information Technology   Taiwan
    Co. Ltd.                

 

  7    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

7


FUND BASICS

 

 

FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS8
As of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

 

  8    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value (excluding investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle, if any). Investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle represented 1.8% of the Fund’s net assets as of August 31, 2017.

 

8


ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on September 25, 2015 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index and secondary underlying index, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net, unhedged), are shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from September 25, 2015 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017      1 Year Return        Since Inception  

 

 

Shares based on NAV (Commenced September 25, 2015)

     22.49%        18.46%  

 

 

 

 

9


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the 12-month period ended August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 19.46% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 19.68% based on market price. The Index returned 19.70%, and the MSCI Europe Index (net, unhedged, USD) (“MSCI Europe Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, and the reference index for the Index, returned 19.43% during the same period.

 

      The Fund had an NAV of $26.12 per share on August 31, 2016 and ended the Reporting Period with an NAV of $30.39 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $30.54 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

      The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns, and its performance is compared to that of the MSCI Europe Index. Because the Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index, the discussion below compared the performance of the Fund to that of the MSCI Europe Index. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the MSCI Europe Index, and overweights and underweights relative to the MSCI Europe Index discussed below resulted from the Fund’s replication of the Index rather than a decision to overweight or underweight a particular sector, country or stock.

 

      The Fund posted positive double-digit absolute returns and outperformed the MSCI Europe Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV. Amongst underlying factors, Value contributed positively, while Quality, Low Volatility and Momentum detracted from relative results during the Reporting Period. Value refers to how attractively a stock is priced relative to its fundamentals, such as book value and free cash flow. Quality refers to sustainable profitability over time. Low Volatility is a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time. Momentum is whether a company’s share price is trending up or down.

 

Q   Which sectors and countries contributed most positively to the Fund’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A  

Index constituents in the health care, materials and telecommunication services sectors contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Europe Index during the Reporting Period. Index constituents in the financials, consumer staples and industrials sectors detracted

 

10


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Europe Index during the Reporting Period.

 

      From a country perspective, Index constituents in France, Germany and Switzerland contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Europe Index. Conversely, Index constituents in the U.K., the Netherlands and Sweden detracted the most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Europe Index during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Fund’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI Europe Index, overweight positions in Swiss materials company Glencore, French information technology firm Atos and Swiss health care company Actelion contributed most positively (1.01%, 1.07% and 0.00%1 of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Glencore posted a triple-digit gain during the Reporting Period, and Atos and Actelion each posted a robust double-digit gain during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Fund’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI Europe Index, overweight positions in Norwegian consumer discretionary firm Schibsted, U.K. financial services group Provident Financial and U.K. industrials company Royal Mail detracted most (0.27%, 0.08% and 0.35% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Each of these companies generated a double-digit decline during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund did not invest in derivatives or similar instruments during the Reporting Period. The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, although it may use them to equitize excess cash.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?2

 

     Sector Name   Fund3      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     MSCI EU
Index
 
  Financials     16.93      16.97      21.31
  Consumer Staples     15.41        15.49        14.14  
  Industrials     14.66        15.16        13.29  
  Consumer Discretionary     14.11        14.19        10.39  
  Health Care     13.35        12.96        12.52  
  Materials     8.33        8.30        7.90  
  Information Technology     5.55        5.62        4.65  
  Energy     4.43        4.49        6.64  
  Utilities     2.98        2.99        3.82  
  Telecommunication Services     2.68        2.73        3.97  
    Real Estate     1.06        1.09        1.36  

 

  2    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity Index.

 

  3    Country and sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s country positioning relative to the Index and reference index at the end of the Reporting
Period?2

 

     Country Name   Fund3      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     MSCI EU
Index
 
  UK     26.40      26.44      27.43
  France     18.71        18.69        16.50  
  Germany     14.00        14.02        14.73  
  Switzerland     12.82        12.80        12.93  
  Spain     5.29        5.33        5.52  
  Netherlands     5.22        5.26        5.72  
  Italy     4.68        4.68        3.82  
  Sweden     4.08        4.04        4.55  
  Denmark     2.89        2.88        2.95  
  Finland     1.55        1.53        1.58  
  Norway     1.28        1.25        1.07  
  Belgium     1.21        1.22        1.85  
  Portugal     0.72        0.72        0.25  
  Austria     0.65        0.65        0.40  
    Ireland     0.49        0.48        0.69  

 

  2    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity Index.

 

  3    Country and sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

 

  1    Some weights are 0.00% at August 31, 2017 because those positions were taken out during the most recent rebalance given the Index construction methodology.

 

11


FUND BASICS

 

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017       
  Market Price1   $ 30.54  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 30.39  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     September 1, 2016–
August 31, 2017
  Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    GS ActiveBeta®
Europe Index3
    MSCI Europe
Index4
 
    Shares     19.46     19.68     19.70     19.43

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculation assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times.

 

  3    The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity Index (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of developed market issuers in Europe. The Index seeks to capture common sources of active equity returns, including value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals”, such as book value or free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low dgree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4    The MSCI Europe Index captures large and mid-cap representation across 15 Developed Markets countries. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

12


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  STANDARDIZED TOTAL RETURNS5  
     For the period ended 6/30/17   One Year      Since Inception      Inception Date  
  Shares (based on NAV)     20.62      16.64      3/2/16  
    Shares (based on Market Price)     20.39        17.10        3/2/16  

 

  5    The Standardized Total Returns are average annual total returns as of the most recent calendar quarter-end. They assume reinvestment of all distributions. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

  EXPENSE RATIO6  
          Expense Ratio  
    Shares     0.25

 

  6    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/177
     Holding   % of Net Assets     Line of Business   Country
  Nestle SA (Consumer Staples)     2.5   Consumer Staples   Switzerland
  Roche Holding AG     1.8     Health Care   Switzerland
  Novartis AG     1.7     Health Care   Switzerland
  HSBC Holdings PLC     1.6     Financials   United Kingdom
  Sanofi     1.2     Health Care   France
  British American Tobacco PLC     1.1     Consumer Staples   United Kingdom
  SAP SE     1.1     Information Technology   Germany
  Atos SE     1.1     Information Technology   France
  Bayer AG     1.0     Health Care   Germany
    adidas AG     1.0     Consumer Discretionary   Germany

 

  7    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

13


FUND BASICS

 

 

FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS8
As of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

 

  8    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. Underlying sector allocations of exchange-traded funds held by the Fund are not reflected in the graph above. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value (excluding investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle, if any). Investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle represented 0.2% of the Fund’s net assets as of August 31, 2017.

 

14


ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on March 2, 2016 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index and secondary underlying index, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity Index and the MSCI Europe Index (Total Return, USD), are shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from March 2, 2016 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017      1 Year Return        Since Inception  

 

 

Shares based on NAV (Commenced March 2, 2016)

     19.46%        17.24%  

 

 

 

 

15


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the 12-month period ended August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 17.66% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 17.75% based on market price. The Index returned 17.87%, and the MSCI World ex USA Index (net, unhedged, USD) (“MSCI World ex USA Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, and the reference index for the Index, returned 17.14% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had an NAV of $24.67 per share on August 31, 2016 and ended the Reporting Period with an NAV of $28.38 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $28.53 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns, and its performance is compared to that of the MSCI World ex USA Index. Because the Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index, the discussion below compared the performance of the Fund to that of the MSCI World ex USA Index. Given the Fund’s investment objective of
  attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the MSCI World ex USA Index, and overweights and underweights relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index discussed below resulted from the Fund’s replication of the Index rather than a decision to overweight or underweight a particular sector, country or stock.

 

    The Fund posted positive double-digit absolute returns and outperformed the MSCI World ex USA Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV. Amongst underlying factors, Value and Quality contributed positively to the Fund’s relative results, while Momentum and Low Volatility detracted from the Fund’s relative results during the Reporting Period. Value refers to how attractively a stock is priced relative to its fundamentals, such as book value and free cash flow. Quality refers to sustainable profitability over time. Momentum is whether a company’s share price is trending up or down. Low Volatility is a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time.

 

Q   Which sectors and countries contributed most positively to the Fund’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A  

Index constituents in the consumer discretionary, industrials and energy sectors contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index during the Reporting Period. Index constituents in the financials,

 

16


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

consumer staples and utilities sectors detracted the most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index during the Reporting Period.

 

    From a country perspective, Index constituents in France, Japan and Switzerland contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index during the Reporting Period. Conversely, Index constituents in the Netherlands, the U.K. and Sweden detracted the most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Fund’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index, overweight positions in Swiss materials company Glencore, French information technology firm Atos and Japanese consumer discretionary company Start Today contributed most positively (0.57%, 0.69% and 0.38% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Glencore and Start Today each generated a triple-digit gain during the Reporting Period, and Atos posted a robust double-digit gain during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Fund’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI World ex USA Index, overweight positions in Netherlands-based consumer staples firm Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize, Japanese consumer staples company Yamazaki Baking and U.K. industrials firm Royal Mail detracted most (0.27%, 0.27% and 0.23% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Each of these companies generated a double-digit decline during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund did not invest in derivatives or similar instruments during the Reporting Period. The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, although it may use them to equitize excess cash.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and the reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?1

 

     Sector Name   Fund2      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     MSCI World
ex USA
Index
 
  Financials     19.99      19.29      23.19
  Consumer Discretionary     14.62        14.59        11.39  
  Consumer Staples     14.52        14.50        10.90  
  Industrials     13.36        13.70        13.89  
  Health Care     10.55        10.23        9.48  
  Information Technology     7.38        7.12        5.85  
  Materials     7.35        7.81        8.18  
  Energy     3.51        3.78        6.27  
  Real Estate     3.00        3.12        3.41  
  Telecommunication Services     3.00        3.03        4.07  
    Utilities     2.72        2.81        3.38  

 

  1    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index.

 

  2    Country and sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

17


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Q   What was the Fund’s country positioning relative to the Index and the reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?1

 

     Country Name   Fund2      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     MSCI World
ex USA
Index
 
  Japan     21.46      21.12      21.26
  UK     14.61        14.54        16.04  
  France     10.66        10.74        9.65  
  Canada     8.92        9.25        8.73  
  Germany     8.13        7.95        8.62  
  Switzerland     7.51        7.58        7.56  
  Australia     6.23        6.35        6.49  
  Hong Kong     3.34        3.35        3.25  
  Spain     3.19        3.33        3.23  
  Netherlands     3.07        3.02        3.35  
  Italy     2.89        2.84        2.23  
  Sweden     2.54        2.53        2.66  
  Denmark     1.82        1.83        1.73  
  Singapore     1.60        1.50        1.20  
  Israel     0.97        0.79        0.43  
  Finland     0.81        0.90        0.93  
  Belgium     0.65        0.63        1.08  
  Norway     0.65        0.68        0.62  
  Austria     0.37        0.34        0.23  
  Portugal     0.26        0.36        0.15  
  Ireland     0.26        0.23        0.40  
    New Zealand     0.07        0.13        0.15  

 

  1    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index.

 

  2    Country and sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

18


FUND BASICS

 

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017  
  Market Price1   $ 28.53  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 28.38  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW
     September 1, 2016–
August 31, 2017
  Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    GS ActiveBeta®
Intl Equity  Index3
    MSCI World
ex USA Index4
 
    Shares     17.66     17.75     17.87     17.14

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculation assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times.

 

  3    The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of developed market issuers outside of the United States. The Index seeks to capture common sources of active equity returns, including value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals”, such as book value or free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4    The MSCI World ex USA Index captures large and mid cap representation across 22 of 23 Developed Markets countries. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

19


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  STANDARDIZED TOTAL RETURNS5
     For the period ended 6/30/17   One Year      Since Inception      Inception Date
  Shares (based on NAV)     18.67      8.89    11/6/15
    Shares (based on Market Price)     18.25        9.28      11/6/15

 

  5    The Standardized Total Returns are average annual total returns as of the most recent calendar quarter-end. They assume reinvestment of all distributions. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

  EXPENSE RATIO6  
          Expense Ratio  
    Shares     0.25

 

  6   The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/177
     Holding   % of Net Assets      Line of Business    Country
  Nestle SA     1.4    Consumer Staples    Switzerland
  Roche Holding AG     1.0      Health Care    Switzerland
  Novartis AG     0.9      Health Care    Switzerland
  HSBC Holdings PLC     0.8      Financials    United Kingdom
  Atos SE     0.7      Information Technology    France
  Sanofi     0.6      Health Care    France
  Glencore PLC     0.6      Materials    Switzerland
  Royal Bank of Canada     0.6      Financials    Canada
  Bayer AG     0.5      Health Care    Germany
    Novo Nordisk A/S, Class B     0.5      Health Care    Denmark

 

  7    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

20


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS8
As of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

 

  8    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value (excluding investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle, if any). Investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle represented 1.2% of the Fund’s net assets as of August 31, 2017.

 

21


ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on November 6, 2015 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index and secondary underlying index, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index and the MSCI World ex USA Index (net, Unhedged, USD), are shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from November 6, 2015 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017      1 Year Return        Since Inception  

 

 

Shares based on NAV (Commenced November 6, 2015)

     17.66%        9.89%  

 

 

 

 

22


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the 12-month period ended August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 14.74% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 14.58% based on market price. The Index returned 14.73%, while the MSCI Japan Index (net, unhedged, USD) (“MSCI Japan Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, and the reference index for the Index, returned 13.69% during the same period.

 

      The Fund had an NAV of $27.33 per share on August 31, 2016 and ended the Reporting Period with an NAV of $30.71 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $30.79 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

      The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns, and its performance is compared to that of the MSCI Japan Index. Because the Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index, the discussion below compared the
  performance of the Fund to that of the MSCI Japan Index. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the MSCI Japan Index, and overweights and underweights relative to the MSCI Japan Index discussed below resulted from the Fund’s replication of the Index, rather than a decision to overweight or underweight a particular sector or stock.

 

      The Fund posted solid double-digit absolute gains and outperformed the MSCI Japan Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV. Amongst underlying factors, Value and Quality contributed positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Japan Index, while Momentum and Low Volatility detracted from relative results during the Reporting Period. Value refers to how attractively a stock is priced relative to its fundamentals, such as book value and free cash flow. Quality refers to sustainable profitability over time. Momentum is whether a company’s share price is trending up or down. Low Volatility is a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time.

 

Q   Which sectors contributed most positively to the Fund’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A   Index constituents in the consumer discretionary, industrials and energy sectors contributed most positively to the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Japan Index during the Reporting Period. Conversely, Index constituents in the information technology, health care and materials sectors detracted most from the Fund’s results relative to the MSCI Japan Index during the Reporting Period.

 

23


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Fund’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI Japan Index, overweight positions in marine transportation, warehousing and cargo handling services provider Mitsui OSK Lines, Internet apparel shopping sites operator Start Today and integrated petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan contributed most positively (0.21%, 0.48% and 0.25% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Mitsui OSK Lines and Idemitsu Kosan each posted a robust double-digit gain during the Reporting Period, and Start Today generated a triple-digit gain during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Fund’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the MSCI Japan Index, underweight positions in video game hardware and software manufacturer Nintendo and technology hardware and equipment manufacturer Hitachi and an overweight position in baked foods producer Yamazaki Baking detracted most (0.63%, 0.67% and 0.39% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Nintendo and Hitachi each posted a double-digit gain during the Reporting Period, while Yamazaki Baking generated a double-digit decline during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund did not invest in derivatives or similar instruments during the Reporting Period. The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, although it may use them to equitize excess cash.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and the reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?1

 

     Sector Name   Fund2     

GS

ActiveBeta®
Index

   MSCI Japan
Index
  Consumer Discretionary     20.49    20.19%    20.03%
  Industrials     18.48      18.18    20.67
  Information Technology     13.96      13.70    12.52
  Financials     10.67      10.50    12.31
  Consumer Staples     10.21      10.87    7.89
  Health Care     7.50      8.14    7.30
  Materials     6.35      6.27    6.74
  Telecommunication Services     4.51      4.44    5.59
  Real Estate     3.64      3.58    4.14
  Utilities     2.89      2.84    1.92
    Energy     1.30      1.28    0.90

 

  1   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity Index.

 

  2   Sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by MSCI.

 

24


FUND BASICS

 

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017  
  Market Price1   $ 30.79  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 30.71  

 

  1   The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     September 1, 2016–
August 31, 2017
  Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    GS ActiveBeta®
Japan Index3
    MSCI World Japan
Index4
 
    Shares     14.74     14.58     14.73     13.69

 

  2   Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculation assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times.

 

  3   The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity Index (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of large capitalization Japan issuers. The Index seeks to capture common sources of active equity returns, including value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals”, such as book value or free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4   The MSCI Japan Index is designed to measure the performance of the large and mid cap segments of the Japanese market. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

25


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  STANDARDIZED TOTAL RETURNS5
     For the period ended 6/30/17   One Year      Since Inception      Inception Date
  Shares (based on NAV)     16.30      14.80    3/2/16
    Shares (based on Market Price)     16.08        14.98      3/2/16

 

  5   The Standardized Total Returns are average annual total returns as of the most recent calendar quarter-end. They assume reinvestment of all distributions. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

  EXPENSE RATIO6  
          Expense Ratio  
    Shares     0.25

 

  6    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/177
     Holding   % of Net Assets      Line of Business
  Toyota Motor Corp.     3.7    Consumer Discretionary
  Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.     1.9      Financials
  SoftBank Group Corp.     1.7      Telecommunication Services
  Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.     1.5      Financials
  Keyence Corp.     1.3      Information Technology
  Sony Corp.     1.3      Consumer Discretionary
  Honda Motor Co. Ltd.     1.2      Consumer Discretionary
  Mitsubishi Corp.     1.2      Industrials
  KDDI Corp.     1.1      Telecommunication Services
    Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.     1.1      Financials

 

  7   The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

26


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS8
As of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

 

  8    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value (excluding investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle, if any). Investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle represented 0.7% of the Fund’s net assets as of August 31, 2017.

 

27


ACTIVEBETA® JAPAN EQUITY ETF

 

Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on March 2, 2016 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index and secondary underlying index, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Index and the MSCI Japan Index (Total Return, USD), are shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from March 2, 2016 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017      1 Year Return        Since Inception  

 

 

Shares based on NAV (Commenced March 2, 2016)

     14.74%        14.79%  

 

 

 

 

28


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the 12-month period ended August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 14.15% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 14.16% based on market price. The Index returned 14.30%, and the S&P 500 Index (Total Return, USD) (“S&P 500 Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, returned 16.23% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had an NAV of $43.83 on August 31, 2016 and ended the Reporting Period with an NAV of $49.16 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $49.15 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns, and its performance is compared to that of the S&P 500 Index. Because the Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index, the discussion below compared the performance of the Fund to that of the S&P 500 Index. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the S&P 500 Index, and overweights and underweights relative to the S&P 500 Index discussed below resulted from the Fund’s replication of the Index rather than a decision to overweight or underweight a particular sector or stock.

 

    The Fund posted solid double-digit absolute gains but underperformed the S&P 500 Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV. Amongst underlying factors, Quality, Low Volatility and Momentum detracted from relative returns, while Value contributed positively. Quality refers to sustainable profitability over time. Low Volatility is a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time. Momentum is whether a company’s share price is trending up or down. Value refers to how attractively a stock is priced relative to its fundamentals, such as book value and free cash flow.

 

Q   Which sectors contributed most positively to the Fund’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A   Index constituents in the consumer discretionary, consumer staples and financials sectors detracted the most from the Fund’s results relative to the S&P 500 Index. Partially offsetting these detractors were Index constituents in the energy, health care and telecommunication services sectors, which contributed positively to the Fund’s results relative to the S&P 500 Index during the Reporting Period.

 

29


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Fund’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the S&P 500 Index, overweight positions in health care company Mallinckrodt and department store retailer Macy’s and an underweight position in information technology giant Apple detracted most (0.00%,1 0.32% and 3.38% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Mallinckrodt and Macy’s each generated a double-digit negative return during the Reporting Period, while Apple posted a robust double-digit positive return during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Fund’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the S&P 500 Index, underweight positions in industrial conglomerate General Electric, oil well services firm Schlumberger and integrated energy company Exxon Mobil contributed most positively (0.51%, 0.09% and 1.04% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Each of these companies posted a negative return during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund did not invest in derivatives or similar instruments during the Reporting Period. The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, although it may use them to equitize excess cash.

 

 

  1    Some weights are 0.00% at August 31, 2017 because those positions were taken out during the most recent rebalance given the Index construction methodology

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and the S&P 500 Index at the end of the Reporting Period?2

 

     Sector Name   Fund3      GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
     S&P 500
Index
 
  Information     23.69      23.69      23.51
  Technology        
  Health Care     14.70        14.70        14.66  
  Consumer Discretionary     13.96        13.96        12.06  
  Financials     12.62        12.62        14.23  
  Consumer Staples     11.01        11.01        8.48  
  Industrials     9.98        9.98        10.10  
  Utilities     4.29        4.29        3.26  
  Energy     2.85        2.85        5.67  
  Materials     2.56        2.56        2.90  
  Real Estate     2.46        2.46        2.98  
    Telecommunication Services     1.87        1.87        2.14  

 

  2    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity Index.

 

  3    Sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by S&P.

 

30


FUND BASICS

 

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017  
  Market Price1   $ 49.15  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 49.16  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     September 1, 2016–
August 31, 2017
  Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    GS ActiveBeta®
LC Index3
    S&P 500 Index4  
    Shares     14.15     14.16     14.30     16.23

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculation assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times.

 

  3    The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity Index (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of large capitalization U.S. issuers. The Index seeks to capture common sources of active equity returns, including value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals”, such as book value or free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low dgree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4    The S&P 500 Index is the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Index of 500 stocks, an unmanaged index of common stock prices. The Index figures do not reflect any deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

31


FUND BASICS

 

 

  STANDARDIZED TOTAL RETURNS5
     For the period ended 6/30/17   One Year      Since Inception      Inception Date
  Shares (based on NAV)     15.27      11.61    9/17/15
    Shares (based on Market Price)     15.35        11.64      9/17/15

 

  5    The Standardized Total Returns are average annual total returns as of the most recent calendar quarter-end. They assume reinvestment of all distributions. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

  EXPENSE RATIO6  
          Expense Ratio  
    Shares     0.09

 

  6    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/177
     Holding   % of Net Assets      Line of Business
  Apple, Inc.     3.4    Information Technology
  Microsoft Corp.     2.3      Information Technology
  Facebook, Inc., Class A     1.5      Information Technology
  Johnson & Johnson     1.4      Health Care
  Amazon.com, Inc.     1.4      Consumer Discretionary
  JPMorgan Chase & Co.     1.3      Financials
  Alphabet, Inc., Class A     1.1      Information Technology
  Alphabet, Inc., Class C     1.0      Information Technology
  Exxon Mobil Corp.     1.0      Energy
    UnitedHealth Group, Inc.     0.9      Health Care

 

  7    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

32


FUND BASICS

 

 

FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS8
As of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

 

  8    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value (excluding investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle, if any). Investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle represented 0.1% of the Fund’s net assets as of August 31, 2017.

 

33


ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on September 17, 2015 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index and secondary underlying index, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity Index and the S&P 500 Index (Total Return, USD), are shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from September 17, 2015 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017      1 year        Since Inception  

 

 

Shares based on NAV (Commenced September 17, 2015)

     14.15%        11.80%  

 

 

 

 

34


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the period since its commencement of operations on June 28, 2017 through August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned -1.76% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and -3.49% based on market price.1 The Index returned -1.68%, and the Russell 2000® Index (Total Return, USD) (“Russell 2000® Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, and the reference index for the Index, returned -1.22% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had an NAV of $40.36 on the date of commencement of operations and ended the Reporting Period with an NAV of $39.65 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $38.95 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns, and its performance is compared to that of the Russell 2000® Index. Because the Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index, the discussion below compared the performance of the Fund to that of the Russell 2000® Index. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the Russell 2000® Index, and overweights and underweights relative to the Russell 2000® Index discussed below resulted from the Fund’s replication of the Index rather than a decision to overweight or underweight a particular sector or stock.

 

    The Fund posted negative absolute returns and underperformed the Russell 2000® Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV. Amongst underlying factors, Value, Quality and Low Volatility detracted from relative returns, while Momentum contributed positively. Value refers to how attractively a stock is priced relative to its fundamentals, such as book value and free cash flow. Quality refers to sustainable profitability over time. Low Volatility is a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time. Momentum is whether a company’s share price is trending up or down.

 

Q   Which sectors contributed most positively to the Fund’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A   Index constituents in the health care, industrials and consumer discretionary sectors detracted the most from the Fund’s results relative to the Russell 2000® Index. Partially offsetting these detractors were Index constituents in the information technology, telecommunication services and

 

  1    The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from commencement of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the market price returns.

 

35


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

energy sectors, which contributed positively to the Fund’s results relative to the Russell 2000® Index during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Fund’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the Russell 2000® Index, underweight positions in pharmaceuticals manufacturer Kite Pharma, online and mobile platform for restaurant pick-up and delivery operator GrubHub and research-based pharmaceutical company FibroGen detracted most (0.17%, 0.09% and 0.04% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Each of these companies posted a robust double-digit positive return during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Fund’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the Russell 2000® Index, overweight positions in pharmaceuticals company Corcept Therapeutics, aesthetic laser systems manufacturer Cutera and independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Triple-S Management contributed most positively (0.26%, 0.13% and 0.12% of Fund net assets as of August 31, 2017, respectively). Each of these companies generated a robust double-digit gain during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund did not invest in derivatives or similar instruments during the Reporting Period. The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, although it may use them to equitize excess cash.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and the reference index at the end of the Reporting Period?1

 

     Sector Name   Fund2     GS
ActiveBeta®
Index
    Russell 2000®
Index
 
  Financials     20.73     21.57     17.70
  Information     17.15       17.02       17.24  
  Technology      
  Health Care     14.26       14.04       15.73  
  Industrials     13.82       13.70       14.55  
  Consumer Discretionary     12.31       12.17       12.01  
  Real Estate     7.46       7.47       7.61  
  Utilities     4.32       4.22       3.90  
  Materials     4.01       3.97       4.42  
  Consumer Staples     2.77       2.73       2.63  
  Energy     2.28       2.24       3.32  
    Telecommunication Services     0.88       0.87       0.89  

 

  1    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity Index.

 

  2    Sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by Russell Investments.

 

36


FUND BASICS

 

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017  
  Market Price1   $ 38.95  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 39.65  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com.

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     June 28, 2017–
August 31, 2017
  Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    GS ActiveBeta®
SC Index3
    Russell 2000®
Index4
 
    Shares     -1.76     -3.49     -1.68     -1.22

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculation assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.

 

  3    The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity Index (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of small capitalization U.S. issuers. The Index seeks to capture common sources of active equity returns, including value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals”, such as book value or free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4    The Russell 2000® Index is an unmanaged index of common stock prices that measures the performance of the 2000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000® Index. The Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased small-cap barometer and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

37


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  EXPENSE RATIO6  
          Expense Ratio  
    Shares     0.20

 

  6    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/177
     Holding   % of Net Assets      Line of Business
  PAREXEL International Corp.     0.3    Health Care
  Corcept Therapeutics, Inc.     0.3      Health Care
  Aspen Technology, Inc.     0.3      Information Technology
  Cirrus Logic, Inc.     0.3      Information Technology
  Radian Group, Inc.     0.2      Financials
  Myriad Genetics, Inc.     0.2      Health Care
  Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. REIT     0.2      Real Estate
  Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.     0.2      Health Care
  Masimo Corp.     0.2      Health Care
    Portland General Electric Co.     0.2      Utilities

 

  7    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

38


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS8
As of August 31, 2017

 

LOGO

 

 

  8    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value (excluding investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle, if any). Investments in the securities lending reinvestment vehicle represented 5.4% of the Fund’s net assets as of August 31, 2017.

 

39


FUND BASICS

 

Index Definitions and Industry Terms

 

The MSCI World ex USA Index captures large and mid cap representation across 22 of 23 Developed Markets countries. The index as of June 30, 2017, consists of the following 22 developed market country indexes: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

The Russell 3000® Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies based on total market capitalization, which represents approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. Index figures do not reflect any deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. As of June 30, 2017, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index consisted of the following 24 emerging market country indices: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Book Value: The total value of the company’s assets that shareholders would theoretically receive if a company were liquidated.

Free Cash Flow: A measure of financial performance calculated as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures.

Alpha: The excess returns of a fund relative to the return of a benchmark index is the fund’s alpha.

 

40


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – 95.3%      
Brazil – 5.6%      
  1,293,063     Ambev SA (Consumer Staples)   $ 8,161,653  
  294,378     B3 SA – Brasil Bolsa Balcao (Financials)     2,069,520  
  334,655     Banco Bradesco SA (Financials)     3,430,095  
  316,458     Banco do Brasil SA (Financials)     3,087,689  
  262,975     Banco Santander Brasil SA (Financials)     2,343,536  
  415,524     BB Seguridade Participacoes SA (Financials)     3,660,737  
  195,456     Cia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo (Utilities)     1,997,143  
  217,441     Cielo SA (Information Technology)     1,550,065  
  164,151     Cosan SA Industria e Comercio (Energy)     2,013,249  
  346,374     CPFL Energia SA (Utilities)     2,982,177  
  424,857     EDP – Energias do Brasil SA (Utilities)     2,057,818  
  186,718     Engie Brasil Energia SA (Utilities)     2,142,262  
  121,396     Equatorial Energia SA (Utilities)     2,358,125  
  113,588     Fibria Celulose SA (Materials)     1,508,635  
  202,273     Hypermarcas SA (Health Care)     1,897,083  
  674,964     JBS SA (Consumer Staples)     1,859,854  
  600,591     Lojas Renner SA (Consumer Discretionary)     5,840,895  
  162,528     M Dias Branco SA (Consumer Staples)     2,536,231  
  74,640     Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliarios SA (Real Estate)     1,733,839  
  230,957     Natura Cosmeticos SA (Consumer Staples)     2,165,371  
  768,570     Odontoprev SA (Health Care)     3,620,018  
  719,695     Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Energy)*     3,195,391  
  226,164     Porto Seguro SA (Financials)     2,497,799  
  305,334     Raia Drogasil SA (Consumer Staples)     6,729,779  
  379,301     Sul America SA (Financials)     2,167,469  
  408,322     TIM Participacoes SA (Telecommunication Services)     1,463,831  
  136,690     Ultrapar Participacoes SA (Energy)     3,190,860  
  470,430     Vale SA (Materials)     5,244,858  
   

 

 

 
      83,505,982  

 

 

 
Chile – 1.6%      
  21,813     Banco de Chile ADR (Financials)(a)     1,909,074  
  33,920     Banco de Credito e Inversiones (Financials)     2,199,694  
  35,717,006     Banco Santander Chile (Financials)     2,611,540  
  670,308     Cencosud SA (Consumer Staples)     2,015,063  
  220,461     Cia Cervecerias Unidas SA (Consumer Staples)     3,005,326  
  173,506     Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones SA (Telecommunication Services)     1,812,862  
  165,243     Empresas COPEC SA (Energy)     2,109,396  
  11,285,302     Enel Americas SA (Utilities)     2,434,518  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
Chile – (continued)      
  151,556     Latam Airlines Group SA ADR (Industrials)   1,909,606  
  219,148     SACI Falabella (Consumer Discretionary)     2,203,301  
  49,905     Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA ADR (Materials)     2,342,042  
   

 

 

 
      24,552,422  

 

 

 
China – 28.6%      
  226,688     AAC Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Information Technology)     4,133,212  
  12,748,646     Agricultural Bank of China Ltd., Class H (Financials)     5,994,419  
  284,984     Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR (Information Technology)*     48,943,152  
  674,687     ANTA Sports Products Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,655,145  
  33,881     Autohome, Inc. ADR (Information Technology)*     2,177,532  
  69,841     Baidu, Inc. ADR (Information Technology)*     15,927,240  
  23,296,030     Bank of China Ltd., Class H (Financials)     12,263,497  
  4,564,820     Bank of Communications Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     3,487,868  
  776,419     Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,008,891  
  5,616,789     CGN Power Co. Ltd., Class H (Utilities)(b)     1,550,162  
  7,097,310     China Cinda Asset Management Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     2,638,894  
  5,050,405     China CITIC Bank Corp Ltd., Class H (Financials)     3,336,199  
  5,305,197     China Communications Services Corp. Ltd., Class H (Telecommunication Services)     2,874,104  
  992,909     China Conch Venture Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     1,806,569  
  24,022,321     China Construction Bank Corp., Class H (Financials)     21,055,922  
  5,451,529     China Everbright Bank Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     2,619,035  
  925,434     China Evergrande Group (Real Estate)*     2,796,480  
  1,672,899     China Galaxy Securities Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     1,515,483  
  4,868,044     China Huarong Asset Management Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)(b)     2,077,477  
  3,942,464     China Huishan Dairy Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)(c)     211,569  
  1,012,916     China Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     3,248,496  
  1,266,362     China Medical System Holdings Ltd. (Health Care)     2,329,998  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   41


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)      
China – (continued)      
  1,368,246     China Mengniu Dairy Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)*   $ 3,195,770  
  1,604,562     China Merchants Bank Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     6,048,027  
  3,544,130     China Minsheng Banking Corp. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     3,536,681  
  1,738,567     China Mobile Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     18,437,614  
  1,020,444     China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd. (Real Estate)     3,566,003  
  407,708     China Pacific Insurance Group Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     1,919,649  
  8,426,393     China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Class H (Energy)     6,449,169  
  4,957,069     China Power International Development Ltd. (Utilities)     1,691,108  
  759,356     China Resources Beer Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,905,558  
  621,260     China Resources Land Ltd. (Real Estate)     1,940,830  
  813,549     China Resources Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (Utilities)     1,492,703  
  827,793     China Shenhua Energy Co. Ltd., Class H (Energy)     2,131,238  
  8,758,085     China Telecom Corp. Ltd., Class H (Telecommunication Services)     4,498,528  
  1,555,897     China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)*     2,266,318  
  3,254,677     Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     2,266,416  
  1,237,554     CITIC Ltd. (Industrials)     1,900,657  
  941,102     CITIC Securities Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     2,087,476  
  1,870,693     CNOOC Ltd. (Energy)     2,237,245  
  3,613,660     Country Garden Holdings Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     4,801,930  
  2,349,088     CRRC Corp. Ltd., Class H (Industrials)     2,119,040  
  3,210,533     CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. (Health Care)     5,012,837  
  35,262     Ctrip.com International Ltd. ADR (Consumer Discretionary)*     1,814,230  
  2,248,100     Dongfeng Motor Group Co. Ltd., Class H (Consumer Discretionary)     2,918,398  
  2,564,999     Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     6,305,615  
  835,899     GF Securities Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     1,783,633  
  16,391,735     GOME Retail Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,717,410  
  963,116     Haitong Securities Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     1,614,536  
  278,216     Hengan International Group Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     2,324,851  
  708,945     Huatai Securities Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)(b)     1,577,960  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
China – (continued)      
  21,310,287     Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., Class H (Financials)   15,955,929  
  142,382     JD.com, Inc. ADR (Consumer Discretionary)*     5,967,230  
  1,062,406     Jiangsu Expressway Co. Ltd., Class H (Industrials)     1,628,947  
  878,910     Kingsoft Corp. Ltd. (Information Technology)     2,084,287  
  1,904,631     Kunlun Energy Co. Ltd. (Energy)     1,844,655  
  6,488,476     Lenovo Group Ltd. (Information Technology)     3,548,311  
  1,111,980     Longfor Properties Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     2,671,099  
  71,792     Momo, Inc. ADR (Information Technology)*     2,766,146  
  31,345     NetEase, Inc. ADR (Information Technology)     8,646,205  
  485,989     New China Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     3,110,995  
  68,883     New Oriental Education & Technology Group, Inc. ADR (Consumer Discretionary)*     5,631,185  
  5,180,644     People’s Insurance Co Group of China Ltd. (The), Class H (Financials)     2,442,560  
  5,220,422     PetroChina Co. Ltd., Class H (Energy)     3,335,115  
  1,704,560     PICC Property & Casualty Co. Ltd., Class H (Financials)     3,201,583  
  1,598,669     Ping An Insurance Group Co. of China Ltd., Class H (Financials)     12,695,063  
  291,789     Shenzhou International Group Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,337,608  
  5,110,241     Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd. (Health Care)     1,965,364  
  29,453     SINA Corp./China (Information Technology)*     2,999,199  
  2,402,201     Sino-Ocean Group Holding Ltd. (Real Estate)     1,657,442  
  632,288     Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd., Class H (Health Care)     2,855,877  
  894,762     Sunac China Holdings Ltd. (Real Estate)     2,686,647  
  288,073     Sunny Optical Technology Group Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     4,129,815  
  142,068     TAL Education Group ADR (Consumer Discretionary)     4,323,129  
  1,560,008     Tencent Holdings Ltd. (Information Technology)     65,577,961  
  1,536,065     Tingyi Cayman Islands Holding Corp. (Consumer Staples)     2,045,090  
  736,267     TravelSky Technology Ltd., Class H (Information Technology)     2,013,188  
  491,254     Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd., Class H (Consumer Staples)     2,036,836  

 

 

 

 

42   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)      
China – (continued)      
  260,610     Vipshop Holdings Ltd. ADR (Consumer Discretionary)*   $ 2,426,279  
  3,497,091     Want Want China Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Staples)(a)     2,314,578  
  44,813     Weibo Corp. ADR (Information Technology)*(a)     4,530,594  
  24,674     YY, Inc. ADR (Information Technology)*     1,843,641  
   

 

 

 
      426,485,332  

 

 

 
Colombia – 0.4%      
  3,536,124     Ecopetrol SA (Energy)     1,645,103  
  134,914     Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana SA (Financials)     1,901,297  
  519,976     Interconexion Electrica SA ESP (Utilities)     2,359,037  
   

 

 

 
      5,905,437  

 

 

 
Egypt – 0.4%      
  946,512     Commercial International Bank Egypt SAE GDR (Financials)     4,325,560  
  2,356,430     Global Telecom Holding SAE (Telecommunication Services)*     939,369  
   

 

 

 
      5,264,929  

 

 

 
Greece – 0.3%      
  253,522     Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (Telecommunication Services)     3,225,110  
  147,685     OPAP SA (Consumer Discretionary)     1,648,721  
   

 

 

 
      4,873,831  

 

 

 
Hong Kong – 1.0%      
  1,435,764     Haier Electronics Group Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)*     3,815,764  
  7,104,644     Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd. (Health Care)     6,236,404  
  4,823,900     Sun Art Retail Group Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     4,443,946  
   

 

 

 
      14,496,114  

 

 

 
Hungary – 0.6%      
  33,432     MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas PLC (Energy)     3,098,510  
  62,332     OTP Bank PLC (Financials)     2,533,193  
  99,334     Richter Gedeon Nyrt (Health Care)     2,582,963  
   

 

 

 
      8,214,666  

 

 

 
India – 8.9%      
  263,879     Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. (Industrials)     1,622,045  
  98,274     Asian Paints Ltd. (Materials)     1,796,415  
  55,289     Bajaj Auto Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,434,225  
  127,297     Bajaj Finance Ltd. (Financials)     3,548,316  
  30,315     Bajaj Finserv Ltd. (Financials)     2,609,552  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
India – (continued)      
  384,576     Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (Energy)   3,182,428  
  384,673     Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     2,573,663  
  238,455     Cipla Ltd. (Health Care)     2,133,277  
  316,812     Dabur India Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,561,603  
  73,247     Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (Health Care)     2,315,557  
  5,014     Eicher Motors Ltd. (Industrials)     2,466,820  
  339,782     GAIL India Ltd. (Utilities)     2,010,747  
  126,276     Grasim Industries Ltd. (Materials)     2,360,925  
  226,389     HCL Technologies Ltd. (Information Technology)     3,064,381  
  67,255     Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     4,203,132  
  705,397     Hindalco Industries Ltd. (Materials)     2,626,222  
  379,850     Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     7,247,759  
  328,016     Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (Financials)     9,117,563  
  1,244,220     Idea Cellular Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     1,764,354  
  161,554     Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. (Financials)     3,071,804  
  229,102     Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. (Energy)     1,629,576  
  571,617     Infosys Ltd. (Information Technology)     8,181,318  
  778,847     ITC Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     3,438,800  
  92,397     Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (Industrials)     1,642,373  
  186,796     LIC Housing Finance Ltd. (Financials)     1,969,027  
  72,583     Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,526,910  
  713,621     Marico Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     3,521,429  
  34,526     Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     4,158,863  
  32,710     Nestle India Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     3,643,825  
  618,731     NTPC Ltd. (Utilities)     1,633,302  
  721,364     Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. (Energy)     1,771,074  
  45,385     Piramal Enterprises Ltd. (Health Care)     1,926,615  
  876,992     Power Finance Corp. Ltd. (Financials)     1,675,066  
  230,002     Reliance Industries Ltd. (Energy)     5,736,895  
  296,396     Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Health Care)     2,230,867  
  157,061     Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (Information Technology)     6,133,306  
  363,509     Tata Motors Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)*     2,141,207  
  418,120     Tata Motors Ltd., Class A (Consumer Discretionary)*     1,430,770  
  1,757,068     Tata Power Co. Ltd. (The) (Utilities)     2,178,254  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   43


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)      
India – (continued)      
  261,818     Tech Mahindra Ltd. (Information Technology)   $ 1,753,542  
  133,501     UPL Ltd. (Materials)     1,729,266  
  924,005     Vedanta Ltd. (Materials)     4,464,913  
  941,724     Wipro Ltd. (Information Technology)     4,406,166  
  87,129     Yes Bank Ltd. (Financials)     2,389,339  
   

 

 

 
      133,023,491  

 

 

 
Indonesia – 1.9%      
  20,551,092     Adaro Energy Tbk PT (Energy)     2,811,104  
  3,901,815     Astra International Tbk PT (Consumer Discretionary)     2,303,013  
  2,863,065     Bank Central Asia Tbk PT (Financials)     4,066,488  
  4,524,825     Bank Negara Indonesia Persero Tbk PT (Financials)     2,492,690  
  1,936,315     Bank Rakyat Indonesia Persero Tbk PT (Financials)     2,195,080  
  16,311,385     Kalbe Farma Tbk PT (Health Care)     2,090,576  
  9,192,957     Perusahaan Gas Negara Persero Tbk (Utilities)     1,460,731  
  13,279,265     Telekomunikasi Indonesia Persero Tbk PT (Telecommunication Services)     4,667,947  
  1,144,873     Unilever Indonesia Tbk PT (Consumer Staples)     4,337,680  
  766,121     United Tractors Tbk PT (Energy)     1,739,879  
   

 

 

 
      28,165,188  

 

 

 
Malaysia – 1.6%      
  2,443,629     Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd (Consumer Discretionary)     1,533,527  
  227,302     British American Tobacco Malaysia Bhd (Consumer Staples)     2,351,528  
  1,263,500     CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (Financials)     2,094,738  
  4,097,300     Dialog Group Bhd (Energy)     1,966,858  
  3,063,119     DiGi.Com Bhd (Telecommunication Services)     3,471,607  
  1,321,563     Genting Bhd (Consumer Discretionary)     3,004,888  
  751,134     HAP Seng Consolidated Bhd (Industrials)     1,597,072  
  848,938     Malayan Banking Bhd (Financials)     1,880,565  
  432,988     Public Bank Bhd (Financials)     2,088,644  
  958,600     Sime Darby Bhd (Industrials)     2,020,232  
  1,117,800     UMW Holdings Bhd (Consumer Discretionary)*     1,591,435  
   

 

 

 
      23,601,094  

 

 

 
Mexico – 3.3%      
  1,548,546     Alfa SAB de CV, Class A (Industrials)     2,174,754  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
Mexico – (continued)      
  8,390,829     America Movil SAB de CV, Series L (Telecommunication Services)   7,824,582  
  378,181     Arca Continental SAB de CV (Consumer Staples)     2,775,446  
  3,516,998     Cemex SAB de CV, Series CPO (Materials)*     3,297,417  
  332,084     Coca-Cola Femsa SAB de CV, Series L (Consumer Staples)     2,730,234  
  481,302     Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV (Consumer Staples)     4,831,991  
  989,906     Gentera SAB de CV (Financials)     1,523,509  
  260,768     Gruma SAB de CV, Class B (Consumer Staples)     3,836,590  
  129,470     Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste SAB de CV, Class B (Industrials)     2,649,367  
  1,636,784     Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, Series A (Consumer Staples)     3,980,206  
  465,494     Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV, Class O (Financials)     3,184,303  
  722,719     Grupo Mexico SAB de CV, Series B (Materials)     2,390,038  
  534,013     Infraestructura Energetica Nova SAB de CV (Utilities)     2,910,851  
  745,837     Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV, Class A (Consumer Staples)     1,468,846  
  1,633,711     Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de CV (Consumer Staples)     3,986,483  
   

 

 

 
      49,564,617  

 

 

 
Peru – 0.2%      
  16,045     Credicorp Ltd. (Financials)     3,254,568  

 

 

 
Philippines – 0.3%      
  55,344     Globe Telecom, Inc. (Telecommunication Services)     2,163,143  
  405,808     Jollibee Foods Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,889,065  
   

 

 

 
      4,052,208  

 

 

 
Poland – 1.9%      
  58,411     Bank Pekao SA (Financials)     2,091,478  
  51,094     CCC SA (Consumer Discretionary)*     3,749,047  
  177,425     Grupa Lotos SA (Energy)*     2,922,493  
  96,704     Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa SA (Materials)*     2,814,467  
  68,579     KGHM Polska Miedz SA (Materials)     2,420,052  
  1,344     LPP SA (Consumer Discretionary)     3,284,364  
  164,420     Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN SA (Energy)     5,424,838  
  201,016     Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Polski SA (Financials)*     2,063,376  
  178,475     Powszechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen SA (Financials)     2,422,353  

 

 

 

 

44   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)      
Poland – (continued)      
  1,268,768     Synthos SA (Materials)   $ 1,697,182  
   

 

 

 
      28,889,650  

 

 

 
Qatar – 0.6%      
  176,401     Masraf Al Rayan QSC (Financials)     1,848,183  
  95,719     Ooredoo QSC (Telecommunication Services)     2,302,514  
  351,520     Qatar Gas Transport Co. Ltd. (Energy)     1,640,185  
  69,382     Qatar National Bank QPSC (Financials)     2,488,511  
   

 

 

 
      8,279,393  

 

 

 
Russia – 3.1%      
  1,338,775     Alrosa PJSC (Materials)     1,871,865  
  856,630     Gazprom PJSC ADR (Energy)     3,417,954  
  44,065,349     Inter RAO UES PJSC (Utilities)     2,981,951  
  160,204     LUKOIL PJSC (Energy)     8,111,577  
  12,915     MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC (Materials)     2,177,148  
  342,602     Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ADR (Telecommunication Services)     3,422,594  
  16,014     Novatek PJSC GDR (Energy)     1,692,680  
  1,396,544     Rostelecom PJSC (Telecommunication Services)     1,611,166  
  660,492     Sberbank of Russia PJSC ADR (Financials)     9,015,716  
  189,819     Severstal PJSC GDR (Materials)     3,001,038  
  423,588     Surgutneftegas OJSC ADR (Energy)     1,937,491  
  394,426     Surgutneftegas OJSC ADR (Energy)     1,924,799  
  88,601     Tatneft PJSC ADR (Energy)     3,530,750  
  988,565     VTB Bank PJSC GDR (Financials)     2,208,454  
   

 

 

 
      46,905,183  

 

 

 
South Africa – 6.3%      
  55,861     Anglo American Platinum Ltd. (Materials)*     1,514,984  
  215,320     AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (Materials)     2,181,114  
  162,252     Barclays Africa Group Ltd. (Financials)(a)     1,852,276  
  160,632     Bidvest Group Ltd. (The) (Industrials)(a)     2,118,896  
  43,460     Capitec Bank Holdings Ltd. (Financials)     3,011,020  
  320,005     Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. (Financials)     1,732,052  
  345,180     Exxaro Resources Ltd. (Energy)     3,475,569  
  836,188     FirstRand Ltd. (Financials)(a)     3,572,496  
  499,481     Fortress Income Fund Ltd. REIT (Real Estate)     1,514,487  
  1,613,446     Fortress Income Fund Ltd., Class A REIT (Real Estate)     2,177,330  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
South Africa – (continued)      
  135,049     Foschini Group Ltd. (The) (Consumer Discretionary)   1,592,534  
  621,341     Gold Fields Ltd. (Materials)(a)     2,772,670  
  1,104,478     Growthpoint Properties Ltd. REIT (Real Estate)(a)     2,137,151  
  193,502     Liberty Holdings Ltd. (Financials)(a)     1,542,359  
  740,042     Life Healthcare Group Holdings Ltd. (Health Care)     1,501,436  
  223,346     Massmart Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Staples)(a)     2,090,577  
  84,943     Mondi Ltd. (Materials)     2,318,213  
  194,293     Mr Price Group Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,709,414  
  199,685     MTN Group Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)(a)     1,985,404  
  81,214     Naspers Ltd., Class N (Consumer Discretionary)     18,376,452  
  851,414     Netcare Ltd. (Health Care)     1,579,349  
  701,727     Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     3,454,241  
  2,539,551     Redefine Properties Ltd. REIT (Real Estate)     2,082,832  
  159,850     Resilient REIT Ltd. REIT (Real Estate)(a)     1,538,053  
  523,641     Sappi Ltd. (Materials)     3,521,156  
  178,840     Shoprite Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     3,101,269  
  117,024     SPAR Group Ltd. (The) (Consumer Staples)     1,522,055  
  276,141     Standard Bank Group Ltd. (Financials)     3,557,168  
  567,652     Steinhoff International Holdings NV (Consumer Discretionary)     2,745,344  
  530,750     Telkom SA SOC Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     2,562,791  
  57,937     Tiger Brands Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,796,392  
  312,264     Vodacom Group Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     4,362,687  
  406,165     Woolworths Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)(a)     1,854,343  
   

 

 

 
      93,854,114  

 

 

 
South Korea – 14.5%      
  14,515     Amorepacific Corp. (Consumer Staples)     3,707,272  
  27,606     AMOREPACIFIC Group (Consumer Staples)     3,280,599  
  25,773     BGF retail Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     2,084,514  
  175,248     BNK Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     1,532,410  
  16,423     Celltrion, Inc. (Health Care)*     1,676,381  
  6,543     CJ CheilJedang Corp (Consumer Staples)     2,103,439  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   45


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)      
South Korea – (continued)      
  22,681     CJ E&M Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)   $ 1,528,695  
  41,723     Coway Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     3,655,758  
  221,848     DGB Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     2,164,179  
  45,223     Dongbu Insurance Co. Ltd. (Financials)     3,015,936  
  11,324     E-MART, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     2,249,535  
  41,547     GS Holdings Corp. (Energy)     2,601,293  
  99,407     Hana Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     4,319,744  
  46,456     Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,430,741  
  18,050     Hanssem Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,721,266  
  51,646     Hanwha Chemical Corp. (Materials)     1,619,090  
  45,038     Hanwha Corp. (Industrials)     1,963,123  
  365,522     Hanwha Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,372,846  
  26,476     Hotel Shilla Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,453,409  
  12,684     Hyosung Corp. (Materials)     1,782,914  
  29,368     Hyundai Department Store Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,515,918  
  56,634     Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,320,407  
  13,628     Hyundai Mobis Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,852,260  
  15,416     Hyundai Motor Co. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,920,848  
  33,579     Hyundai Steel Co. (Materials)     1,718,259  
  182,598     Industrial Bank of Korea (Financials)     2,420,929  
  113,609     KB Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     5,581,712  
  116,216     Kia Motors Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     3,653,651  
  84,849     Korea Electric Power Corp. (Utilities)     3,228,115  
  76,676     Korea Gas Corp. (Utilities)*     3,080,368  
  37,028     Korea Investment Holdings Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,157,449  
  100,414     KT Corp. (Telecommunication Services)     3,153,755  
  28,232     KT&G Corp. (Consumer Staples)     2,866,765  
  7,023     LG Chem Ltd. (Materials)     2,360,515  
  34,062     LG Corp. (Industrials)     2,537,432  
  55,160     LG Electronics, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     3,986,822  
  5,223     LG Household & Health Care Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     4,446,683  
  5,468     Lotte Chemical Corp. (Materials)     1,937,270  
  9,956     NAVER Corp (Information Technology)     6,666,176  
  7,485     NCSoft Corp. (Information Technology)     2,552,308  
  17,496     OCI Co. Ltd. (Materials)     1,525,237  
  19,578     POSCO (Materials)     5,964,032  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
South Korea – (continued)      
  35,500     S-1 Corp. (Industrials)   2,824,007  
  18,814     Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     1,685,185  
  27,292     Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     56,055,580  
  8,762     Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,148,539  
  20,831     Samsung Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,133,718  
  62,992     Samsung Securities Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,041,821  
  98,776     Shinhan Financial Group Co. Ltd. (Financials)     4,555,119  
  8,115     SK Holdings Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     1,925,117  
  160,239     SK Hynix, Inc. (Information Technology)     9,748,488  
  15,703     SK Innovation Co. Ltd. (Energy)     2,625,058  
  20,217     SK Telecom Co. Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     4,545,060  
  25,787     S-Oil Corp. (Energy)     2,870,050  
  236,955     Woori Bank (Financials)     3,908,623  
  7,642     Yuhan Corp. (Health Care)     1,531,653  
   

 

 

 
      216,308,073  

 

 

 
Taiwan – 11.1%      
  2,296,623     Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (Information Technology)     2,770,041  
  350,388     Advantech Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     2,583,297  
  1,762,425     Asia Cement Corp. (Materials)     1,597,214  
  237,171     Asustek Computer, Inc. (Information Technology)     1,964,702  
  3,687,134     AU Optronics Corp. (Information Technology)     1,514,976  
  115,610     Catcher Technology Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     1,471,031  
  1,868,164     Cathay Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     3,048,712  
  822,666     Chailease Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,240,735  
  2,893,653     Chang Hwa Commercial Bank Ltd. (Financials)     1,582,069  
  3,454,437     China Steel Corp. (Materials)     2,895,963  
  954,844     Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     3,322,132  
  3,750,615     Compal Electronics, Inc. (Information Technology)     2,696,854  
  4,781,576     CTBC Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     3,097,512  
  376,478     Delta Electronics, Inc. (Information Technology)     2,064,585  
  2,923,737     E.Sun Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     1,801,965  

 

 

 

 

46   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)      
Taiwan – (continued)      
  707,786     Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)   $ 1,716,755  
  668,851     Feng TAY Enterprise Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     3,169,280  
  3,278,639     First Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,129,339  
  730,251     Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp. (Materials)     2,296,326  
  673,431     Formosa Petrochemical Corp. (Energy)     2,376,500  
  843,244     Formosa Plastics Corp. (Materials)     2,623,699  
  1,603,333     Fubon Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     2,576,681  
  129,852     General Interface Solution Holding Ltd. (Information Technology)     1,555,436  
  3,919,903     Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     15,261,891  
  2,814,461     Hua Nan Financial Holdings Co. Ltd. (Financials)     1,571,413  
  3,356,205     Innolux Corp. (Information Technology)     1,634,786  
  24,796     Largan Precision Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     4,790,108  
  1,093,130     Lite-On Technology Corp. (Information Technology)     1,617,292  
  2,373,702     Mega Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     1,907,362  
  937,624     Nan Ya Plastics Corp. (Materials)     2,367,439  
  702,181     Nanya Technology Corp. (Information Technology)     1,505,388  
  245,625     Nien Made Enterprise Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,641,085  
  506,623     Pegatron Corp. (Information Technology)     1,594,791  
  169,753     Phison Electronics Corp. (Information Technology)     2,289,323  
  1,262,073     Pou Chen Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,637,236  
  616,696     President Chain Store Corp. (Consumer Staples)     5,159,738  
  799,977     Quanta Computer, Inc. (Information Technology)     1,821,081  
  4,854,405     SinoPac Financial Holdings Co Ltd. (Financials)*     1,560,281  
  1,230,777     Standard Foods Corp. (Consumer Staples)     3,144,336  
  8,310,359     Taiwan Business Bank (Financials)     2,296,577  
  3,096,196     Taiwan Cooperative Financial Holding Co. Ltd. (Financials)     1,631,251  
  665,250     Taiwan Mobile Co. Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     2,380,695  
  6,701,099     Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     48,072,764  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)      
Taiwan – (continued)      
  2,481,061     Uni-President Enterprises Corp. (Consumer Staples)   5,277,979  
  2,493,735     Wistron Corp. (Information Technology)     2,354,997  
   

 

 

 
      165,613,617  

 

 

 
Thailand – 1.0%      
  332,116     Advanced Info Service PCL NVDR (Telecommunication Services)     1,875,373  
  1,041,077     CP ALL PCL NVDR (Consumer Staples)     1,943,887  
  353,000     Electricity Generating PCL NVDR (Utilities)     2,487,637  
  5,775,400     Home Product Center PCL NVDR (Consumer Discretionary)     1,739,316  
  246,357     PTT PCL NVDR (Energy)     2,960,291  
  353,179     Siam Commercial Bank PCL (The) NVDR (Financials)     1,600,766  
  679,800     Thai Oil PCL NVDR (Energy)     1,929,563  
   

 

 

 
      14,536,833  

 

 

 
Turkey – 1.1%      
  255,286     Aselsan Elektronik Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS (Industrials)     1,996,415  
  208,446     BIM Birlesik Magazalar AS (Consumer Staples)     4,618,650  
  803,159     Eregli Demir ve Celik Fabrikalari TAS (Materials)     1,912,200  
  545,889     Haci Omer Sabanci Holding AS (Financials)     1,675,985  
  1,180,359     Petkim Petrokimya Holding AS (Materials)(a)     2,133,334  
  64,373     Tupras Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri AS (Energy)     2,187,065  
  904,284     Turkiye Is Bankasi, Class C (Financials)     1,961,764  
   

 

 

 
      16,485,413  

 

 

 
United Arab Emirates – 0.6%      
  2,932,620     Aldar Properties PJSC (Real Estate)     1,844,315  
  1,394,897     DAMAC Properties Dubai Co. PJSC (Real Estate)     1,534,231  
  961,676     Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC (Financials)     1,594,459  
  783,344     Emaar Properties PJSC (Real Estate)     1,812,753  
  503,849     Emirates Telecommunications Group Co. PJSC (Telecommunication Services)     2,469,108  
   

 

 

 
      9,254,866  

 

 

 
United States – 0.4%      
  162,440     Yum China Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)*     5,743,878  

 

 

 
  TOTAL COMMON STOCKS  
  (Cost $1,146,346,032)   $ 1,420,830,899  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   47


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares

    Description   Value  
Preferred Stocks – 4.4%      
Brazil – 2.8%      
  786,698     Banco Bradesco SA (Financials)   $ 8,395,913  
  240,680     Braskem SA, Class A (Materials)     2,915,131  
  164,597     Cia Brasileira de Distribuicao (Consumer Staples)*     3,765,939  
  706,795     Gerdau SA (Materials)     2,661,895  
  930,049     Itau Unibanco Holding SA (Financials)     11,926,926  
  764,384     Itausa – Investimentos Itau SA (Financials)     2,477,941  
  788,195     Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Energy)*     3,419,365  
  194,819     Telefonica Brasil SA (Telecommunication Services)     3,024,030  
  328,081     Vale SA (Materials)     3,396,081  
   

 

 

 
      41,983,221  

 

 

 
Chile – 0.2%      
  526,450     Embotelladora Andina SA, Class B (Consumer Staples)     2,480,708  

 

 

 
Russia – 0.1%      
  494     Transneft PJSC (Energy)     1,516,238  

 

 

 
South Korea – 1.3%      
  28,133     Amorepacific Corp. (Consumer Staples)     4,278,831  
  22,766     Hyundai Motor Co. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,946,295  
  6,933     LG Household & Health Care Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     3,689,074  
  5,382     Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     8,997,047  
   

 

 

 
      18,911,247  

 

 

 
  TOTAL PREFERRED STOCKS  
  (Cost $47,932,768)   $ 64,891,414  

 

 

 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITIES LENDING
REINVESTMENT VEHICLE
 
 
  (Cost $1,194,278,800)   $ 1,485,722,313  

 

 

 

 

Shares

    Distribution
rate
  Value  
Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle – 1.8%(d)  
 

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund –
Institutional Shares

 
 
  26,893,134     0.93%   $ 26,893,134  
  (Cost $26,893,134)  

 

 

 
  TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 101.5%  
  (Cost $1,221,171,934)   $ 1,512,615,447  

 

 

 
 
LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF
    OTHER ASSETS – (1.5)%
    (21,932,665

 

 

 
  NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 1,490,682,782  

 

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Security is currently in default and/or non-income producing.

(a)

  All or a portion of security is on loan.

(b)

  Exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, such securities may be deemed liquid by the Investment Adviser and may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers in transactions exempt from registration. Total market value of Rule 144A securities amounts to $5,205,599, which represents approximately 0.3% of net assets as of August 31, 2017.

(c)

  Significant unobservable inputs were used in the valuation of this portfolio security; i.e. Level 3.

(d)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

ADR

 

—American Depositary Receipt

GDR

 

—Global Depositary Receipt

NVDR

 

—Non-Voting Depository Receipt

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

REIT

 

—Real Estate Investment Trust

 

 

48   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

Shares     Description       
Value
 
Common Stocks – 98.5%  
Australia – 0.3%      
  6,364     BHP Billiton PLC (Materials)   $ 121,078  

 

 

 
Austria – 0.6%      
  792     ANDRITZ AG (Industrials)     43,041  
  906     Erste Group Bank AG (Financials)*     38,233  
  1,603     OMV AG (Energy)     92,031  
  2,576     Raiffeisen Bank International AG (Financials)*     84,406  
  562     voestalpine AG (Materials)     29,125  
   

 

 

 
      286,836  

 

 

 
Belgium – 1.2%      
  531     Ageas (Financials)     24,627  
  1,746     Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (Consumer Staples)     206,585  
  489     Colruyt SA (Consumer Staples)     27,136  
  555     Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA (Financials)     56,423  
  317     KBC Group NV (Financials)     26,016  
  657     Proximus SADP (Telecommunication Services)     23,132  
  258     Solvay SA (Materials)     37,376  
  814     Telenet Group Holding NV (Consumer Discretionary)*     55,037  
  204     UCB SA (Health Care)     14,040  
  782     Umicore SA (Materials)     58,340  
   

 

 

 
      528,712  

 

 

 
Chile – 0.1%      
  2,369     Antofagasta PLC (Materials)     31,594  

 

 

 
Denmark – 2.9%      
  1,391     Carlsberg A/S, Class B (Consumer Staples)     159,424  
  455     Chr Hansen Holding A/S (Materials)     39,093  
  1,091     Coloplast A/S, Class B (Health Care)     89,203  
  2,333     Danske Bank A/S (Financials)     90,546  
  779     DSV A/S (Industrials)     55,163  
  479     H Lundbeck A/S (Health Care)     30,466  
  1,478     ISS A/S (Industrials)     57,433  
  9,292     Novo Nordisk A/S, Class B (Health Care)     442,621  
  259     Novozymes A/S, Class B (Materials)     13,157  
  903     Pandora A/S (Consumer Discretionary)     95,844  
  8,428     TDC A/S (Telecommunication Services)     50,143  
  1,052     Tryg A/S (Financials)     24,282  
  691     Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Industrials)     62,849  
  1,978     William Demant Holding A/S (Health Care)*     52,264  
   

 

 

 
      1,262,488  

 

 

 
Finland – 1.5%      
  800     Elisa OYJ (Telecommunication Services)     34,906  
  1,910     Fortum OYJ (Utilities)     34,244  
  623     Kone OYJ, Class B (Industrials)     33,761  
  943     Metso OYJ (Industrials)     31,212  
  1,855     Neste OYJ (Energy)     81,688  
  3,507     Nokia OYJ (Information Technology)     21,702  
  3,152     Orion OYJ, Class B (Health Care)     149,072  
  764     Sampo OYJ, Class A (Financials)     40,275  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Finland – (continued)      
  2,593     Stora Enso OYJ, Class R (Materials)   34,034  
  6,574     UPM-Kymmene OYJ (Materials)     170,854  
  686     Wartsila OYJ Abp (Industrials)     47,263  
   

 

 

 
      679,011  

 

 

 
France – 18.0%      
  241     Aeroports de Paris (Industrials)     42,936  
  801     Air Liquide SA (Materials)     97,659  
  1,049     Airbus SE (Industrials)     88,062  
  405     Alstom SA (Industrials)     14,385  
  2,137     Arkema SA (Materials)     231,913  
  3,049     Atos SE (Information Technology)     469,794  
  8,025     AXA SA (Financials)     232,560  
  5,095     BNP Paribas SA (Financials)     387,131  
  3,582     Bollore SA (Industrials)     16,617  
  706     Bouygues SA (Industrials)     31,975  
  1,559     Bureau Veritas SA (Industrials)     37,024  
  1,427     Capgemini SE (Information Technology)     158,001  
  3,710     Carrefour SA (Consumer Staples)     74,719  
  1,479     Cie de Saint-Gobain (Industrials)     81,017  
  764     Cie Generale des Etablissements Michelin (Consumer Discretionary)     104,003  
  4,200     CNP Assurances (Financials)     97,371  
  11,872     Credit Agricole SA (Financials)     209,037  
  3,035     Danone SA (Consumer Staples)     238,690  
  19     Dassault Aviation SA (Industrials)     28,989  
  1,086     Dassault Systemes (Information Technology)     106,842  
  2,080     Eiffage SA (Industrials)     214,649  
  1,919     Engie SA (Utilities)     31,987  
  1,113     Essilor International SA (Health Care)     140,330  
  1,432     Eurazeo SA (Financials)     118,307  
  1,364     Eutelsat Communications SA (Consumer Discretionary)     39,593  
  396     Fonciere Des Regions REIT (Real Estate)     39,109  
  231     Gecina SA REIT (Real Estate)     35,950  
  847     Hermes International (Consumer Discretionary)     447,409  
  291     ICADE REIT (Real Estate)     25,830  
  64     Iliad SA (Telecommunication Services)     16,508  
  578     Imerys SA (Materials)     50,783  
  262     Ingenico Group SA (Information Technology)     25,978  
  1,562     Ipsen SA (Health Care)     209,570  
  259     Kering (Consumer Discretionary)     97,089  
  855     Klepierre SA REIT (Real Estate)     34,409  
  1,390     Lagardere SCA (Consumer Discretionary)     44,603  
  1,368     Legrand SA (Industrials)     95,763  
  1,522     L’Oreal SA (Consumer Staples)     320,916  
  1,148     LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (Consumer Discretionary)     300,610  
  5,140     Natixis SA (Financials)     38,548  
  2,607     Orange SA (Telecommunication Services)     44,245  
  759     Pernod Ricard SA (Consumer Staples)     103,592  
  9,309     Peugeot SA (Consumer Discretionary)     196,281  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   49


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares     Description       
Value
 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
France – (continued)      
  1,121     Publicis Groupe SA (Consumer Discretionary)   $ 75,567  
  570     Remy Cointreau SA (Consumer Staples)     65,009  
  5,428     Rexel SA (Industrials)     80,989  
  505     Safran SA (Industrials)     48,986  
  5,346     Sanofi (Health Care)     519,019  
  2,039     Schneider Electric SE (Industrials)*     164,189  
  1,946     SCOR SE (Financials)     81,439  
  982     SEB SA (Consumer Discretionary)     178,160  
  570     Societe BIC SA (Industrials)     68,411  
  4,869     Societe Generale SA (Financials)     272,245  
  488     Sodexo SA (Consumer Discretionary)     56,875  
  2,365     Suez (Utilities)     44,805  
  794     Thales SA (Industrials)     87,791  
  7,257     TOTAL SA (Energy)     374,837  
  183     Unibail-Rodamco SE REIT (Real Estate)     46,462  
  542     Valeo SA (Consumer Discretionary)     36,201  
  1,780     Veolia Environnement SA (Utilities)     41,711  
  2,325     Vinci SA (Industrials)     213,810  
  790     Vivendi SA (Consumer Discretionary)     18,104  
  351     Wendel SA (Financials)     55,564  
   

 

 

 
      7,950,958  

 

 

 
Germany – 13.0%  
  2,007     adidas AG (Consumer Discretionary)     449,903  
  1,690     Allianz SE (Financials)     361,161  
  508     Axel Springer SE (Consumer Discretionary)     31,406  
  2,764     BASF SE (Materials)     267,391  
  3,582     Bayer AG (Health Care)     457,803  
  252     Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Consumer Discretionary)     23,369  
  1,788     Beiersdorf AG (Consumer Staples)     190,637  
  495     Brenntag AG (Industrials)     26,197  
  1,130     CECONOMY AG (Consumer Discretionary)     12,362  
  204     Continental AG (Consumer Discretionary)     45,973  
  2,039     Covestro AG (Materials)(a)     160,019  
  1,478     Daimler AG (Consumer Discretionary)     107,593  
  926     Deutsche Boerse AG (Financials)     98,852  
  8,782     Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Industrials)     219,990  
  8,331     Deutsche Post AG (Industrials)     345,130  
  10,552     Deutsche Telekom AG (Telecommunication Services)     190,186  
  1,126     Deutsche Wohnen SE (Real Estate)     47,765  
  1,370     E.ON SE (Utilities)     15,465  
  633     Evonik Industries AG (Materials)     20,493  
  576     Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide (Industrials)     56,764  
  983     Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA (Health Care)     91,742  
  1,698     Fresenius SE & Co KGaA (Health Care)     143,513  
  283     Hannover Rueck SE (Financials)     34,251  
  741     HeidelbergCement AG (Materials)     71,051  
  453     Henkel AG & Co KGaA (Consumer Staples)     54,773  
  411     HOCHTIEF AG (Industrials)     72,343  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Germany – (continued)  
  2,878     HUGO BOSS AG (Consumer Discretionary)   243,314  
  3,376     Infineon Technologies AG (Information Technology)     77,746  
  291     Innogy SE (Utilities)(a)     12,810  
  1,035     LANXESS AG (Materials)     77,091  
  212     Linde AG (Materials)     40,592  
  437     MAN SE (Industrials)     48,999  
  1,006     Merck KGaA (Health Care)     110,346  
  1,130     METRO AG (Consumer Staples)*     22,060  
  714     Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG in Muenchen (Financials)     147,195  
  389     OSRAM Licht AG (Industrials)     31,902  
  1,380     ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE (Consumer Discretionary)     46,234  
  4,355     RWE AG (Utilities)*     108,498  
  4,515     SAP SE (Information Technology)     472,910  
  2,440     Siemens AG (Industrials)     318,520  
  590     Symrise AG (Materials)     43,069  
  3,680     Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG (Telecommunication Services)     19,890  
  2,856     TUI AG (Consumer Discretionary)     48,136  
  883     United Internet AG (Information Technology)     52,333  
  1,330     Vonovia SE (Real Estate)     56,142  
  3,517     Zalando SE (Consumer Discretionary)*(a)     166,355  
   

 

 

 
      5,740,274  

 

 

 
Ireland – 0.5%  
  4,982     Bank of Ireland Group PLC (Financials)*     41,461  
  2,509     CRH PLC (Materials)     87,505  
  897     Kerry Group PLC, Class A (Consumer Staples)     83,428  
   

 

 

 
      212,394  

 

 

 
Italy – 3.7%  
  4,883     Assicurazioni Generali SpA (Financials)     87,313  
  1,396     Atlantia SpA (Industrials)     44,812  
  22,711     Enel SpA (Utilities)     137,301  
  4,068     Eni SpA (Energy)     63,696  
  1,477     Ferrari NV (Consumer Discretionary)     168,752  
  81     GEDI Gruppo Editoriale SpA (Consumer Discretionary)*     69  
  7,790     Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (Financials)     26,266  
  7,707     Leonardo SpA (Industrials)     130,204  
  3,315     Luxottica Group SpA (Consumer Discretionary)     190,557  
  2,693     Poste Italiane SpA (Financials)(a)     19,546  
  6,239     Prysmian SpA (Industrials)     195,971  
  1,949     Recordati SpA (Health Care)     83,372  
  36,912     Saipem SpA (Energy)*     136,832  
  7,952     Snam SpA (Energy)     38,668  
  126,349     Telecom Italia SpA (Telecommunication Services)*     120,849  

 

 

 

 

50   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Shares     Description       
Value
 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Italy – (continued)  
  148,311     Telecom Italia SpA-RSP (Telecommunication Services)   $ 115,053  
  7,311     Terna Rete Elettrica Nazionale SpA (Utilities)     43,112  
  838     UniCredit SpA (Financials)*     17,027  
  9,994     UnipolSai Assicurazioni SpA (Financials)     22,659  
   

 

 

 
      1,642,059  

 

 

 
Jersey Island – 0.0%  
  220     Randgold Resources Ltd. (Materials)     22,423  

 

 

 
Luxembourg – 0.4%  
  1,853     ArcelorMittal (Materials)*     49,436  
  22     Eurofins Scientific SE (Health Care)     12,558  
  287     Millicom International Cellular SA (Telecommunication Services)     17,879  
  1,077     RTL Group SA (Consumer Discretionary)     81,628  
  461     SES SA (Consumer Discretionary)     10,526  
  724     Tenaris SA (Energy)     9,666  
   

 

 

 
      181,693  

 

 

 
Mexico – 0.1%  
  1,537     Fresnillo PLC (Materials)     32,005  

 

 

 
Netherlands – 5.6%  
  1,003     ABN AMRO Group NV (Financials)(a)     28,071  
  675     Akzo Nobel NV (Materials)     61,633  
  531     Altice NV, Class A (Consumer Discretionary)*     12,228  
  873     ASML Holding NV (Information Technology)     135,447  
  2,807     Boskalis Westminster (Industrials)     91,607  
  1,802     EXOR NV (Financials)     115,475  
  960     Gemalto NV (Information Technology)     51,812  
  1,493     Heineken Holding NV (Consumer Staples)     147,221  
  1,144     Heineken NV (Consumer Staples)     119,866  
  12,565     ING Groep NV (Financials)     222,584  
  8,853     Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV (Consumer Staples)     158,932  
  1,054     Koninklijke DSM NV (Materials)     79,860  
  11,935     Koninklijke KPN NV (Telecommunication Services)     42,157  
  5,166     Koninklijke Philips NV (Health Care)     195,188  
  488     Koninklijke Vopak NV (Energy)     20,629  
  2,425     NN Group NV (Financials)     96,107  
  673     NXP Semiconductors NV (Information Technology)*     76,022  
  3,152     Randstad Holding NV (Industrials)     184,017  
  10,806     Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Class A (Energy)     296,165  
  8,974     Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Class B (Energy)     249,828  
  2,060     Wolters Kluwer NV (Industrials)     89,871  
   

 

 

 
      2,474,720  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Norway – 1.3%  
  2,685     DNB ASA (Financials)   52,286  
  2,131     Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (Financials)     37,197  
  3,863     Marine Harvest ASA (Consumer Staples)*     76,517  
  8,625     Norsk Hydro ASA (Materials)     62,084  
  3,975     Orkla ASA (Consumer Staples)     40,696  
  4,863     Schibsted ASA, Class A (Consumer Discretionary)     117,827  
  5,287     Schibsted ASA, Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     120,964  
  1,989     Telenor ASA (Telecommunication Services)     40,164  
  274     Yara International ASA (Materials)     11,175  
   

 

 

 
      558,910  

 

 

 
Portugal – 0.7%  
  43,890     EDP – Energias de Portugal SA (Utilities)     168,283  
  1,792     Galp Energia SGPS SA (Energy)     29,635  
  5,866     Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA (Consumer Staples)     116,886  
   

 

 

 
      314,804  

 

 

 
South Africa – 0.4%  
  1,832     Investec PLC (Financials)     13,928  
  9,489     Mediclinic International PLC (Health Care)     93,476  
  2,581     Mondi PLC (Materials)     70,273  
   

 

 

 
      177,677  

 

 

 
Spain – 5.0%  
  1,790     Abertis Infraestructuras SA (Industrials)     36,178  
  3,639     ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA (Industrials)     137,407  
  494     Aena SA (Industrials)(a)     96,349  
  2,075     Amadeus IT Group SA (Information Technology)     128,455  
  16,190     Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (Financials)     142,861  
  19,504     Banco de Sabadell SA (Financials)     42,829  
  54,459     Banco Santander SA (Financials)     353,450  
  4,634     Bankia SA (Financials)     22,528  
  2,165     Bankinter SA (Financials)     20,617  
  11,130     CaixaBank SA (Financials)     57,402  
  21,625     Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion SA (Consumer Staples)     136,674  
  1,317     Enagas SA (Energy)     38,761  
  2,715     Endesa SA (Utilities)     65,413  
  1,323     Ferrovial SA (Industrials)     30,113  
  1,604     Gas Natural SDG SA (Utilities)     38,941  
  1,709     Grifols SA (Health Care)     48,256  
  23,227     Iberdrola SA (Utilities)     189,463  
  5,926     Industria de Diseno Textil SA (Consumer Discretionary)     224,855  
  17,078     Mapfre SA (Financials)     60,364  
  1,807     Red Electrica Corp. SA (Utilities)     40,528  
  10,713     Repsol SA (Energy)     183,790  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   51


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares     Description       
Value
 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Spain – (continued)  
  8,427     Telefonica SA (Telecommunication Services)   $ 90,761  
   

 

 

 
      2,185,995  

 

 

 
Sweden – 4.0%  
  1,290     Alfa Laval AB (Industrials)     29,181  
  3,260     Assa Abloy AB, Class B (Industrials)     70,384  
  2,074     Atlas Copco AB, Class A (Industrials)     81,163  
  1,433     Atlas Copco AB, Class B (Industrials)     51,072  
  2,009     Boliden AB (Materials)     70,187  
  1,663     Electrolux AB, Series B (Consumer Discretionary)     60,377  
  829     Essity AB, Class B (Consumer Staples)*     22,982  
  2,965     Getinge AB, Class B (Health Care)(b)     54,997  
  8,662     Hennes & Mauritz AB, Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     218,799  
  1,326     Hexagon AB, Class B (Information Technology)     64,972  
  4,259     Husqvarna AB, Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     42,899  
  735     ICA Gruppen AB (Consumer Staples)     29,262  
  2,465     Industrivarden AB, Class C (Financials)     58,300  
  1,733     Investor AB, Class B (Financials)     80,929  
  537     Kinnevik AB, Class B (Financials)     16,136  
  821     L E Lundbergforetagen AB, Class B (Financials)     63,504  
  7,305     Nordea Bank AB (Financials)     98,136  
  3,913     Sandvik AB (Industrials)     64,566  
  3,583     Securitas AB, Class B (Industrials)     58,806  
  4,608     Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB, Class A (Financials)     59,878  
  1,704     Skanska AB, Class B (Industrials)     38,438  
  1,079     SKF AB, Class B (Industrials)     21,533  
  829     Svenska Cellulosa AB SCA, Class B (Materials)     6,902  
  2,409     Svenska Handelsbanken AB, Class A (Financials)     35,965  
  2,635     Swedbank AB, Class A (Financials)     71,129  
  3,303     Swedish Match AB (Consumer Staples)     117,595  
  2,276     Tele2 AB, Class B (Telecommunication Services)     26,457  
  7,417     Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Class B (Information Technology)     43,408  
  7,209     Telia Co. AB (Telecommunication Services)     34,336  
  4,016     Volvo AB, Class B (Industrials)     68,487  
   

 

 

 
      1,760,780  

 

 

 
Switzerland – 14.9%  
  6,778     ABB Ltd. (Industrials)     156,578  
  876     Adecco Group AG (Industrials)     63,353  
  305     Baloise Holding AG (Financials)     48,464  
  54     Barry Callebaut AG (Consumer Staples)*     77,544  
  10     Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG (Consumer Staples)     57,232  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Switzerland – (continued)  
  952     Cie Financiere Richemont SA (Consumer Discretionary)   84,947  
  6,250     Coca-Cola HBC AG (Consumer Staples)*     212,933  
  865     Credit Suisse Group AG (Financials)*     12,691  
  121     Dufry AG (Consumer Discretionary)*     18,610  
  221     EMS-Chemie Holding AG (Materials)     150,745  
  2,389     Ferguson PLC (Industrials)     141,696  
  181     Geberit AG (Industrials)     82,514  
  24     Givaudan SA (Materials)     48,949  
  95,240     Glencore PLC (Materials)*     441,184  
  359     Julius Baer Group Ltd. (Financials)*     20,023  
  1,439     Kuehne + Nagel International AG (Industrials)     260,098  
  482     LafargeHolcim Ltd. (Materials)*     28,263  
  362     Lonza Group AG (Health Care)*     91,461  
  13,150     Nestle SA (Consumer Staples)     1,113,166  
  8,840     Novartis AG (Health Care)     744,179  
  1,012     Pargesa Holding SA (Financials)     81,824  
  412     Partners Group Holding AG (Financials)     266,664  
  3,116     Roche Holding AG (Health Care)     789,538  
  202     Schindler Holding AG (Industrials)     42,355  
  269     Schindler Holding AG Participation Certificates (Industrials)     57,495  
  75     SGS SA (Industrials)     167,248  
  17     Sika AG (Materials)     120,291  
  388     Sonova Holding AG (Health Care)     65,447  
  8,905     STMicroelectronics NV (Information Technology)     154,096  
  239     Straumann Holding AG (Health Care)     152,826  
  174     Swatch Group AG (The) – Bearer (Consumer Discretionary)     69,310  
  714     Swatch Group AG (The) – Registered (Consumer Discretionary)     55,240  
  445     Swiss Life Holding AG (Financials)*     158,922  
  476     Swiss Prime Site AG (Real Estate)*     42,994  
  1,452     Swiss Re AG (Financials)     131,224  
  85     Swisscom AG (Telecommunication Services)     42,774  
  8,824     UBS Group AG (Financials)*     145,077  
  339     Vifor Pharma AG (Health Care)     34,182  
  393     Zurich Insurance Group AG (Financials)     117,327  
   

 

 

 
      6,549,464  

 

 

 
United Kingdom – 23.6%  
  15,198     3i Group PLC (Financials)     189,861  
  9,040     Admiral Group PLC (Financials)     224,932  
  14,951     Anglo American PLC (Materials)     270,193  
  1,839     Ashtead Group PLC (Industrials)     39,407  
  1,390     Associated British Foods PLC (Consumer Staples)     59,500  
  5,135     AstraZeneca PLC (Health Care)     300,464  
  31,563     Auto Trader Group PLC (Information Technology)(a)     143,730  
  4,745     Aviva PLC (Financials)     31,947  
  1,347     Babcock International Group PLC (Industrials)     14,102  

 

 

 

 

52   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Shares     Description       
Value
 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
United Kingdom – (continued)  
  9,974     BAE Systems PLC (Industrials)   $ 78,076  
  32,972     Barclays PLC (Financials)     81,191  
  13,003     Barratt Developments PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     104,635  
  48,372     BP PLC (Energy)     277,461  
  7,960     British American Tobacco PLC (Consumer Staples)     495,509  
  1,807     British Land Co. PLC (The) REIT (Real Estate)     14,238  
  10,731     BT Group PLC (Telecommunication Services)     40,452  
  1,694     Bunzl PLC (Industrials)     50,423  
  10,536     Burberry Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     243,964  
  1,861     Capita PLC (Industrials)     15,551  
  28,622     Centrica PLC (Utilities)     73,725  
  3,819     CNH Industrial NV (Industrials)     43,270  
  569     Coca-Cola European Partners PLC (Consumer Staples)     24,333  
  8,844     Compass Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     188,261  
  2,518     ConvaTec Group PLC (Health Care)*(a)     9,309  
  1,464     Croda International PLC (Materials)     72,477  
  659     DCC PLC (Industrials)     59,823  
  9,162     Diageo PLC (Consumer Staples)     306,004  
  4,463     Direct Line Insurance Group PLC (Financials)     21,859  
  7,208     Dixons Carphone PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     16,105  
  4,089     Experian PLC (Industrials)     81,878  
  15,704     Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (Consumer Discretionary)*     236,182  
  4,401     G4S PLC (Industrials)     16,077  
  7,062     GKN PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     29,019  
  20,032     GlaxoSmithKline PLC (Health Care)     395,831  
  2,983     Hammerson PLC REIT (Real Estate)     21,563  
  12,191     Hargreaves Lansdown PLC (Financials)     219,922  
  71,914     HSBC Holdings PLC (Financials)     695,449  
  2,619     IMI PLC (Industrials)     38,303  
  4,285     Imperial Brands PLC (Consumer Staples)     176,714  
  841     Inmarsat PLC (Telecommunication Services)     7,932  
  1,269     InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     63,052  
  15,852     International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (Industrials)     125,272  
  1,040     Intertek Group PLC (Industrials)     68,479  
  5,218     Intu Properties PLC REIT (Real Estate)     16,729  
  4,205     ITV PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     8,594  
  50,537     J Sainsbury PLC (Consumer Staples)     153,421  
  1,079     Johnson Matthey PLC (Materials)     38,429  
  29,787     Kingfisher PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     114,724  
  1,252     Land Securities Group PLC REIT (Real Estate)     16,294  
  12,257     Legal & General Group PLC (Financials)     41,095  
  62,480     Lloyds Banking Group PLC (Financials)     51,381  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
United Kingdom – (continued)  
  784     London Stock Exchange Group PLC (Financials)   39,904  
  26,826     Marks & Spencer Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)(b)     110,475  
  3,656     Meggitt PLC (Industrials)     24,403  
  6,526     Merlin Entertainments PLC (Consumer Discretionary)(a)     38,791  
  8,349     National Grid PLC (Utilities)     104,859  
  2,573     Next PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     136,894  
  5,714     Old Mutual PLC (Financials)     15,278  
  1,764     Persimmon PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     60,439  
  9,689     Petrofac Ltd. (Energy)     52,236  
  3,038     Provident Financial PLC (Financials)(b)     34,566  
  6,359     Prudential PLC (Financials)     148,760  
  2,534     Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (Consumer Staples)     239,403  
  4,744     RELX NV (Industrials)     99,464  
  6,906     RELX PLC (Industrials)     150,477  
  4,107     Rio Tinto PLC (Materials)     198,268  
  2,231     Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (Industrials)*     26,275  
  30,556     Royal Mail PLC (Industrials)     155,208  
  6,417     RSA Insurance Group PLC (Financials)     55,110  
  21,860     Sage Group PLC (The) (Information Technology)     195,061  
  333     Schroders PLC (Financials)     14,452  
  9,941     Segro PLC REIT (Real Estate)     68,915  
  1,706     Severn Trent PLC (Utilities)     49,879  
  3,414     Sky PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     42,055  
  6,901     Smith & Nephew PLC (Health Care)     124,225  
  2,953     Smiths Group PLC (Industrials)     58,789  
  3,253     SSE PLC (Utilities)     59,731  
  2,024     St James’s Place PLC (Financials)     30,071  
  6,109     Standard Chartered PLC (Financials)*     60,612  
  2,319     Standard Life Aberdeen PLC (Financials)     12,837  
  8,145     Tate & Lyle PLC (Consumer Staples)     71,735  
  10,553     Taylor Wimpey PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     27,264  
  74,710     Tesco PLC (Consumer Staples)*     174,148  
  6,182     Unilever NV (Consumer Staples)     367,562  
  6,406     Unilever PLC (Consumer Staples)     373,019  
  3,976     United Utilities Group PLC (Utilities)     46,622  
  76,923     Vodafone Group PLC (Telecommunication Services)     219,450  
  1,488     Weir Group PLC (The) (Industrials)     34,417  
  2,117     Whitbread PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     102,513  
  81,096     Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (Consumer Staples)     257,061  
  10,518     Worldpay Group PLC (Information Technology)(a)     56,516  
  8,294     WPP PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     151,759  
   

 

 

 
      10,396,645  

 

 

 
United States – 0.7%  
  1,335     Carnival PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     92,462  
  2,419     QIAGEN NV (Health Care)*     77,521  
  2,781     Shire PLC (Health Care)     137,372  
   

 

 

 
      307,355  

 

 

 
  TOTAL COMMON STOCKS  
  (Cost $37,781,292)   $ 43,417,875  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   53


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

Shares     Description       
Value
 
Preferred Stocks – 0.6%  
Germany – 0.6%  
  153     Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Consumer Discretionary)   $ 12,677  
  2,487     FUCHS PETROLUB SE (Materials)     138,082  
  692     Henkel AG & Co KGaA (Consumer Staples)     92,597  
  122     Volkswagen AG (Consumer Discretionary)     18,181  

 

 

 
  TOTAL PREFERRED STOCKS  
  (Cost $220,383)   $ 261,537  

 

 

 

 

Exchange – Traded Fund – 0.5%  
United States – 0.5%  
  4,830     iShares Europe ETF  
  (Cost $221,927)   $ 219,620  

 

 

 

 

Units   Description   Expiration
Month
    Value  
Right – 0.0%  
Sweden – 0.0%  
2,965   Getinge AB (Health Care)*(b)    
(Cost $0)     09/17     $ 1,096  

 

 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITIES LENDING REINVESTMENT VEHICLE  
(Cost $38,223,602)     $ 43,900,128  

 

 

 

Shares   Distribution
rate
  Value  
Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle – 0.2%(c)  

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund – Institutional Shares

 

90,063   0.93%   $ 90,063  
(Cost $90,063)  

 

 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 99.8%  
(Cost $38,313,665)   $ 43,990,191  

 

 
OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS     OF LIABILITIES – 0.2%     72,250  

 

 
NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 44,062,441  

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Security is currently in default and/or non-income producing.

(a)

  Exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, such securities may be deemed liquid by the Investment Adviser and may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers in transactions exempt from registration. Total market value of Rule 144A securities amounts to $731,496, which represents approximately 1.7% of net assets as of August 31, 2017.

(b)

  All or a portion of security is on loan.

(c)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

REIT

 

—Real Estate Investment Trust

 

 

54   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – 99.3%  
Australia – 6.2%      
  24,687     AGL Energy Ltd. (Utilities)   $ 469,736  
  22,975     Amcor Ltd. (Materials)     293,566  
  52,516     AMP Ltd. (Financials)     212,431  
  22,140     APA Group (Utilities)     155,585  
  73,263     Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,230,157  
  7,306     ASX Ltd. (Financials)     316,857  
  81,177     Aurizon Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     319,352  
  182,817     AusNet Services (Utilities)     252,302  
  69,726     Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (Financials)     1,625,913  
  23,023     Bank of Queensland Ltd. (Financials)     229,902  
  80,770     Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Ltd. (Financials)     765,549  
  63,614     BHP Billiton Ltd. (Materials)     1,381,470  
  40,419     BHP Billiton PLC (Materials)     768,989  
  142,740     BlueScope Steel Ltd. (Materials)     1,230,638  
  16,122     Caltex Australia Ltd. (Energy)     426,963  
  41,341     Challenger Ltd. (Financials)     411,182  
  27,382     CIMIC Group Ltd. (Industrials)     913,243  
  22,527     Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     143,832  
  16,383     Cochlear Ltd. (Health Care)     2,029,820  
  52,874     Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Financials)     3,178,825  
  20,833     Computershare Ltd. (Information Technology)     232,158  
  17,212     CSL Ltd. (Health Care)     1,754,516  
  32,129     Dexus REIT (Real Estate)     244,383  
  38,504     Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)(a)     1,476,582  
  206,910     Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (Materials)     986,305  
  50,884     Goodman Group REIT (Real Estate)     334,573  
  72,341     GPT Group (The) REIT (Real Estate)     286,886  
  64,100     Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)(a)     207,431  
  78,681     Insurance Australia Group Ltd. (Financials)     400,021  
  22,546     LendLease Group (Real Estate)     296,489  
  10,395     Macquarie Group Ltd. (Financials)     715,648  
  148,944     Medibank Pvt Ltd. (Financials)     359,130  
  148,945     Mirvac Group REIT (Real Estate)     274,075  
  53,500     National Australia Bank Ltd. (Financials)     1,281,492  
  13,943     Newcrest Mining Ltd. (Materials)     252,696  
  7,330     Orica Ltd. (Materials)     118,194  
  148,203     Qantas Airways Ltd. (Industrials)     672,370  
  93,968     QBE Insurance Group Ltd. (Financials)     778,100  
  3,334     Ramsay Health Care Ltd. (Health Care)     180,636  
  10,115     REA Group Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     531,906  
  85,277     Scentre Group REIT (Real Estate)     261,081  
  9,168     SEEK Ltd. (Industrials)     121,799  
  9,790     Sonic Healthcare Ltd. (Health Care)     170,052  
  611,460     South32 Ltd. (Materials)     1,416,140  
  94,035     Stockland REIT (Real Estate)     330,406  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Australia – (continued)      
  50,031     Suncorp Group Ltd. (Financials)   517,057  
  25,603     Sydney Airport (Industrials)     150,272  
  46,658     Tabcorp Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     152,098  
  211,301     Telstra Corp. Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     615,067  
  33,154     Transurban Group (Industrials)     319,760  
  117,962     Vicinity Centres REIT (Real Estate)     245,131  
  38,506     Wesfarmers Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,301,658  
  36,786     Westfield Corp. REIT (Real Estate)     216,784  
  80,109     Westpac Banking Corp. (Financials)     1,986,847  
  69,761     Woolworths Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,438,604  
   

 

 

 
      36,982,659  

 

 

 
Austria – 0.4%      
  4,301     ANDRITZ AG (Industrials)     233,736  
  3,318     Erste Group Bank AG (Financials)*     140,020  
  12,551     OMV AG (Energy)     720,577  
  27,254     Raiffeisen Bank International AG (Financials)*     893,006  
  3,750     voestalpine AG (Materials)     194,341  
   

 

 

 
      2,181,680  

 

 

 
Belgium – 0.7%      
  5,128     Ageas (Financials)     237,831  
  6,844     Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (Consumer Staples)     809,777  
  7,002     Colruyt SA (Consumer Staples)     388,554  
  4,874     Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA (Financials)     495,504  
  3,262     KBC Group NV (Financials)     267,712  
  5,989     Proximus SADP (Telecommunication Services)     210,868  
  3,716     Solvay SA (Materials)     538,328  
  7,609     Telenet Group Holding NV (Consumer Discretionary)*     514,465  
  5,381     Umicore SA (Materials)     401,441  
   

 

 

 
      3,864,480  

 

 

 
Canada – 8.7%      
  27,018     Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc., Class B (Consumer Staples)     1,285,012  
  5,111     Atco Ltd., Class I (Utilities)     187,563  
  15,050     Bank of Montreal (Financials)     1,075,677  
  31,446     Bank of Nova Scotia (The) (Financials)     1,948,586  
  27,279     Barrick Gold Corp. (Materials)     489,336  
  8,533     BCE, Inc. (Telecommunication Services)     404,548  
  15,609     Brookfield Asset Management, Inc., Class A (Financials)     614,898  
  17,824     CAE, Inc. (Industrials)     293,003  
  52,740     Cameco Corp. (Energy)     526,664  
  12,453     Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (Financials)     1,042,029  
  14,307     Canadian National Railway Co. (Industrials)     1,155,058  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   55


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Canada – (continued)      
  1,671     Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (Industrials)   $ 258,977  
  1,818     Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd., Class A (Consumer Discretionary)     214,317  
  6,642     Canadian Utilities Ltd., Class A (Utilities)     206,187  
  122,151     Cenovus Energy, Inc. (Energy)     951,876  
  3,710     CGI Group, Inc., Class A (Information Technology)*     187,993  
  48,795     CI Financial Corp. (Financials)     1,064,052  
  4,302     Constellation Software, Inc. (Information Technology)     2,382,562  
  23,446     Dollarama, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,301,495  
  112,515     Empire Co. Ltd., Class A (Consumer Staples)     1,883,701  
  13,577     Enbridge, Inc. (Energy)     540,589  
  473     Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (Financials)     244,877  
  17,849     Finning International, Inc. (Industrials)     406,737  
  16,360     First Capital Realty, Inc. (Real Estate)     264,761  
  8,692     Fortis, Inc. (Utilities)     316,759  
  20,025     George Weston Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,733,450  
  6,185     Gildan Activewear, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     192,938  
  31,359     Great-West Lifeco, Inc. (Financials)(a)     865,171  
  13,738     H&R Real Estate Investment Trust REIT (Real Estate)     234,053  
  55,192     Husky Energy, Inc. (Energy)*     643,154  
  12,090     Hydro One Ltd. (Utilities)(b)     223,430  
  9,740     IGM Financial, Inc. (Financials)     317,662  
  19,972     Imperial Oil Ltd. (Energy)     587,173  
  27,966     Industrial Alliance Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. (Financials)     1,195,372  
  4,572     Intact Financial Corp. (Financials)     375,387  
  36,457     Jean Coutu Group PJC, Inc. (The), Class A (Consumer Staples)     647,575  
  39,811     Kinross Gold Corp. (Materials)*     180,678  
  16,322     Linamar Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     906,481  
  22,001     Loblaw Cos. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,188,537  
  6,948     Magna International, Inc., Class A (Consumer Discretionary)     333,005  
  53,677     Manulife Financial Corp. (Financials)     1,050,207  
  2,618     Methanex Corp. (Materials)     133,244  
  30,080     Metro, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     988,951  
  14,859     National Bank of Canada (Financials)     681,233  
  23,139     Onex Corp. (Financials)     1,842,815  
  6,028     Open Text Corp. (Information Technology)     193,185  
  7,770     Pembina Pipeline Corp. (Energy)(a)     249,446  
  54,924     Power Corp. of Canada (Financials)     1,337,013  
  34,332     Power Financial Corp. (Financials)     923,096  
  4,371     Restaurant Brands International, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     265,764  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Canada – (continued)      
  11,297     RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust REIT (Real Estate)   214,452  
  10,739     Rogers Communications, Inc., Class B (Telecommunication Services)     558,385  
  44,448     Royal Bank of Canada (Financials)     3,285,695  
  28,281     Saputo, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     951,008  
  15,068     Shaw Communications, Inc., Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     334,831  
  7,198     Shopify, Inc., Class A (Information Technology)*     792,282  
  6,940     Smart Real Estate Investment Trust REIT (Real Estate)     168,442  
  4,056     SNC-Lavalin Group, Inc. (Industrials)     176,474  
  19,742     Sun Life Financial, Inc. (Financials)(a)     755,038  
  29,724     Suncor Energy, Inc. (Energy)     927,697  
  53,938     Teck Resources Ltd., Class B (Materials)     1,337,103  
  7,640     TELUS Corp. (Telecommunication Services)     275,497  
  8,064     Thomson Reuters Corp. (Financials)     367,262  
  50,594     Toronto-Dominion Bank (The) (Financials)     2,706,149  
  17,507     TransCanada Corp. (Energy)     885,439  
  33,789     Veresen, Inc. (Energy)     474,057  
  2,355     West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (Materials)     121,699  
   

 

 

 
      51,867,787  

 

 

 
Chile – 0.1%      
  25,428     Antofagasta PLC (Materials)     339,121  

 

 

 
China – 0.4%      
  272,982     BOC Hong Kong Holdings Ltd. (Financials)     1,389,945  
  839,289     Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     923,959  
   

 

 

 
      2,313,904  

 

 

 
Denmark – 1.8%      
  12,619     Carlsberg A/S, Class B (Consumer Staples)     1,446,275  
  3,372     Chr Hansen Holding A/S (Materials)     289,716  
  12,388     Coloplast A/S, Class B (Health Care)     1,012,870  
  18,564     Danske Bank A/S (Financials)     720,489  
  4,876     DSV A/S (Industrials)     345,282  
  5,444     H Lundbeck A/S (Health Care)     346,257  
  6,556     ISS A/S (Industrials)     254,760  
  67,266     Novo Nordisk A/S, Class B (Health Care)     3,204,192  
  9,585     Pandora A/S (Consumer Discretionary)     1,017,342  
  80,291     TDC A/S (Telecommunication Services)     477,694  
  11,610     Tryg A/S (Financials)     267,982  
  7,934     Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Industrials)     721,624  
  24,725     William Demant Holding A/S (Health Care)*     653,305  
   

 

 

 
      10,757,788  

 

 

 

 

56   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Finland – 0.8%      
  5,310     Elisa OYJ (Telecommunication Services)   $ 231,689  
  16,061     Fortum OYJ (Utilities)     287,951  
  4,587     Kone OYJ, Class B (Industrials)     248,570  
  2,874     Nokian Renkaat OYJ (Consumer Discretionary)     121,334  
  24,166     Orion OYJ, Class B (Health Care)     1,142,917  
  9,698     Sampo OYJ, Class A (Financials)     511,238  
  19,035     Stora Enso OYJ, Class R (Materials)     249,843  
  61,495     UPM-Kymmene OYJ (Materials)     1,598,215  
  5,524     Wartsila OYJ Abp (Industrials)     380,585  
   

 

 

 
      4,772,342  

 

 

 
France – 10.2%      
  2,492     Aeroports de Paris (Industrials)     443,966  
  4,257     Air Liquide SA (Materials)     519,020  
  9,039     Airbus SE (Industrials)     758,808  
  6,053     Alstom SA (Industrials)     214,993  
  15,301     Arkema SA (Materials)     1,660,507  
  26,464     Atos SE (Information Technology)     4,077,610  
  50,869     AXA SA (Financials)     1,474,154  
  36,343     BNP Paribas SA (Financials)     2,761,434  
  6,171     Bouygues SA (Industrials)     279,491  
  12,359     Bureau Veritas SA (Industrials)     293,505  
  12,937     Capgemini SE (Information Technology)     1,432,413  
  33,530     Carrefour SA (Consumer Staples)     675,293  
  5,403     Casino Guichard Perrachon SA (Consumer Staples)     306,825  
  12,184     Cie de Saint-Gobain (Industrials)     667,422  
  5,427     Cie Generale des Etablissements Michelin (Consumer Discretionary)     738,772  
  43,051     CNP Assurances (Financials)     998,075  
  87,951     Credit Agricole SA (Financials)     1,548,606  
  25,740     Danone SA (Consumer Staples)     2,024,340  
  159     Dassault Aviation SA (Industrials)     242,588  
  11,336     Dassault Systemes (Information Technology)     1,115,252  
  11,509     Eiffage SA (Industrials)     1,187,688  
  12,849     Engie SA (Utilities)     214,172  
  9,181     Essilor International SA (Health Care)     1,157,566  
  7,326     Eurazeo SA (Financials)     605,250  
  13,514     Eutelsat Communications SA (Consumer Discretionary)     392,271  
  2,366     Fonciere Des Regions REIT (Real Estate)     233,671  
  1,769     Gecina SA REIT (Real Estate)     275,304  
  5,506     Hermes International (Consumer Discretionary)     2,908,424  
  2,497     ICADE REIT (Real Estate)     221,642  
  485     Iliad SA (Telecommunication Services)     125,097  
  5,008     Imerys SA (Materials)     440,001  
  10,144     Ipsen SA (Health Care)     1,360,993  
  2,001     Kering (Consumer Discretionary)     750,095  
  7,379     Klepierre SA REIT (Real Estate)     296,962  
  10,061     Lagardere SCA (Consumer Discretionary)     322,841  
  7,039     Legrand SA (Industrials)     492,747  
  11,711     L’Oreal SA (Consumer Staples)     2,469,280  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
France – (continued)      
  9,453     LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (Consumer Discretionary)   2,475,316  
  35,931     Natixis SA (Financials)     269,467  
  22,860     Orange SA (Telecommunication Services)     387,969  
  5,774     Pernod Ricard SA (Consumer Staples)     788,068  
  84,055     Peugeot SA (Consumer Discretionary)     1,772,311  
  10,028     Publicis Groupe SA (Consumer Discretionary)     675,993  
  3,117     Remy Cointreau SA (Consumer Staples)     355,497  
  48,784     Rexel SA (Industrials)     727,891  
  9,857     Safran SA (Industrials)     956,152  
  38,114     Sanofi (Health Care)     3,700,318  
  12,858     Schneider Electric SE (Industrials)*     1,035,380  
  21,628     SCOR SE (Financials)     905,116  
  7,562     SEB SA (Consumer Discretionary)     1,371,944  
  5,697     Societe BIC SA (Industrials)     683,750  
  33,459     Societe Generale SA (Financials)     1,870,825  
  2,310     Sodexo SA (Consumer Discretionary)     269,225  
  11,624     Suez (Utilities)     220,218  
  5,045     Thales SA (Industrials)     557,814  
  40,306     TOTAL SA (Energy)     2,081,875  
  1,431     Unibail-Rodamco SE REIT (Real Estate)     363,316  
  6,556     Valeo SA (Consumer Discretionary)     437,891  
  24,417     Veolia Environnement SA (Utilities)     572,169  
  16,614     Vinci SA (Industrials)     1,527,846  
  7,061     Vivendi SA (Consumer Discretionary)     161,810  
  2,332     Wendel SA (Financials)     369,160  
   

 

 

 
      60,224,399  

 

 

 
Germany – 7.5%      
  14,170     adidas AG (Consumer Discretionary)     3,176,446  
  13,716     Allianz SE (Financials)     2,931,173  
  3,177     Axel Springer SE (Consumer Discretionary)     196,411  
  18,361     BASF SE (Materials)     1,776,257  
  25,286     Bayer AG (Health Care)     3,231,720  
  2,826     Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Consumer Discretionary)     262,067  
  16,115     Beiersdorf AG (Consumer Staples)     1,718,189  
  5,643     Brenntag AG (Industrials)     298,649  
  30,277     Commerzbank AG (Financials)*     375,801  
  2,082     Continental AG (Consumer Discretionary)     469,191  
  6,047     Covestro AG (Materials)(b)     474,564  
  9,194     Daimler AG (Consumer Discretionary)     669,289  
  7,163     Deutsche Bank AG (Financials)     114,712  
  14,097     Deutsche Boerse AG (Financials)     1,504,873  
  62,856     Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Industrials)     1,574,550  
  60,288     Deutsche Post AG (Industrials)     2,497,563  
  91,787     Deutsche Telekom AG (Telecommunication Services)     1,654,343  
  6,882     Deutsche Wohnen SE (Real Estate)     291,934  
  29,570     E.ON SE (Utilities)     333,804  
  5,760     Evonik Industries AG (Materials)     186,473  
  5,412     Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide (Industrials)     533,341  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   57


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Germany – (continued)      
  8,454     Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA (Health Care)   $ 789,000  
  14,237     Fresenius SE & Co KGaA (Health Care)     1,203,295  
  4,708     Hannover Rueck SE (Financials)     569,809  
  6,544     HeidelbergCement AG (Materials)     627,470  
  5,470     Henkel AG & Co KGaA (Consumer Staples)     661,384  
  3,241     HOCHTIEF AG (Industrials)     570,470  
  14,706     HUGO BOSS AG (Consumer Discretionary)     1,243,284  
  23,375     Infineon Technologies AG (Information Technology)     538,302  
  4,193     KION Group AG (Industrials)     381,955  
  5,429     LANXESS AG (Materials)     404,377  
  2,519     Linde AG (Materials)     482,318  
  3,193     MAN SE (Industrials)     358,015  
  10,097     Merck KGaA (Health Care)     1,107,519  
  19,943     METRO AG (Consumer Staples)*     389,322  
  6,319     Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG in Muenchen (Financials)     1,302,695  
  4,778     OSRAM Licht AG (Industrials)     391,845  
  14,589     ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE (Consumer Discretionary)     488,778  
  47,441     RWE AG (Utilities)*     1,181,916  
  25,953     SAP SE (Information Technology)     2,718,370  
  15,579     Siemens AG (Industrials)     2,033,701  
  4,490     Symrise AG (Materials)     327,763  
  67,543     Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG (Telecommunication Services)     365,052  
  22,395     TUI AG (Consumer Discretionary)     377,451  
  5,575     United Internet AG (Information Technology)     330,412  
  8,022     Vonovia SE (Real Estate)     338,624  
  20,118     Zalando SE (Consumer Discretionary)*(b)     951,589  
   

 

 

 
      44,406,066  

 

 

 
Hong Kong – 3.0%      
  285,709     AIA Group Ltd. (Financials)     2,192,159  
  25,337     ASM Pacific Technology Ltd. (Information Technology)     313,376  
  30,784     Bank of East Asia Ltd. (The) (Financials)     141,010  
  45,804     Cheung Kong Property Holdings Ltd. (Real Estate)     402,064  
  18,116     CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     237,027  
  21,347     CK Infrastructure Holdings Ltd. (Utilities)     193,383  
  48,382     CLP Holdings Ltd. (Utilities)     510,931  
  215,786     First Pacific Co. Ltd. (Financials)     173,424  
  61,992     Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     388,913  
  52,253     Hang Lung Group Ltd. (Real Estate)     196,956  
  65,581     Hang Lung Properties Ltd. (Real Estate)     159,544  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Hong Kong – (continued)      
  30,002     Hang Seng Bank Ltd. (Financials)   690,014  
  28,860     Henderson Land Development Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     178,843  
  290,209     HK Electric Investments & HK Electric Investments Ltd. (Utilities)(b)     266,238  
  215,635     HKT Trust & HKT Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     278,276  
  173,001     Hong Kong & China Gas Co. Ltd. (Utilities)     327,149  
  49,887     Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. (Financials)     1,361,520  
  5,088     Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     334,332  
  8,152     Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     357,465  
  47,100     Kerry Properties Ltd. (Real Estate)     186,560  
  61,181     Link REIT (Real Estate)     504,992  
  7,871     Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd. ADR (Consumer Discretionary)     172,768  
  61,703     MTR Corp. Ltd. (Industrials)     360,689  
  214,925     New World Development Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     293,837  
  288,134     NWS Holdings Ltd. (Industrials)     553,704  
  649,955     PCCW Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     362,080  
  23,650     Power Assets Holdings Ltd. (Utilities)     208,504  
  30,027     Sands China Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     134,473  
  125,707     Shangri-La Asia Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     210,410  
  1,516,118     SJM Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,323,088  
  40,717     Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. (Real Estate)     679,445  
  51,520     Swire Pacific Ltd., Class A (Real Estate)     524,320  
  34,568     Swire Properties Ltd. (Real Estate)     119,696  
  70,169     Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     363,108  
  1,481,818     WH Group Ltd. (Consumer Staples)(b)     1,548,757  
  48,589     Wharf Holdings Ltd. (The) (Real Estate)     462,829  
  174,773     Wheelock & Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     1,307,484  
   

 

 

 
      18,019,368  

 

 

 
Ireland – 0.3%      
  30,143     Bank of Ireland Group PLC (Financials)*     250,859  
  19,194     CRH PLC (Materials)     669,417  
  21,897     James Hardie Industries PLC CDI (Materials)     307,233  
  6,460     Kerry Group PLC, Class A (Consumer Staples)     600,829  
   

 

 

 
      1,828,338  

 

 

 

 

58   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Israel – 0.9%      
  2,234     Azrieli Group Ltd. (Real Estate)   $ 128,746  
  67,178     Bank Hapoalim BM (Financials)     451,955  
  115,307     Bank Leumi Le-Israel BM (Financials)     603,757  
  331,775     Bezeq The Israeli Telecommunication Corp. Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     488,415  
  4,404     Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Information Technology)*     492,675  
  2,251     Elbit Systems Ltd. (Industrials)     309,723  
  17,530     Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd. (Financials)     312,218  
  8,295     Nice Ltd. (Information Technology)     642,018  
  123,999     Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ADR (Health Care)     1,966,624  
   

 

 

 
      5,396,131  

 

 

 
Italy – 2.4%      
  21,631     Assicurazioni Generali SpA (Financials)     386,785  
  11,817     Atlantia SpA (Industrials)     379,329  
  164,970     Enel SpA (Utilities)     997,335  
  27,027     Eni SpA (Energy)     423,183  
  9,880     Ferrari NV (Consumer Discretionary)     1,128,822  
  248,822     Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (Financials)     838,958  
  42,468     Intesa Sanpaolo SpA-RSP (Financials)     134,001  
  68,353     Leonardo SpA (Industrials)     1,154,774  
  28,474     Luxottica Group SpA (Consumer Discretionary)     1,636,779  
  23,131     Poste Italiane SpA (Financials)(b)     167,890  
  49,746     Prysmian SpA (Industrials)     1,562,558  
  14,393     Recordati SpA (Health Care)     615,684  
  288,239     Saipem SpA (Energy)*     1,068,499  
  68,241     Snam SpA (Energy)     331,829  
  1,176,415     Telecom Italia SpA (Telecommunication Services)*     1,125,205  
  1,438,416     Telecom Italia SpA-RSP (Telecommunication Services)     1,115,861  
  59,286     Terna Rete Elettrica Nazionale SpA (Utilities)     349,606  
  253,333     UnipolSai Assicurazioni SpA (Financials)     574,364  
   

 

 

 
      13,991,462  

 

 

 
Japan – 21.4%      
  6,462     ABC-Mart, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     331,731  
  16,278     Aeon Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)(a)     239,896  
  6,559     Aeon Mall Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     117,759  
  9,486     Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Consumer Staples)     187,160  
  37,662     Alfresa Holdings Corp. (Health Care)     708,002  
  92,094     ANA Holdings, Inc. (Industrials)     341,231  
  62,420     Aozora Bank Ltd. (Financials)     235,932  
  5,093     Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     198,519  
  17,366     Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     755,640  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  34,301     Asahi Kasei Corp. (Materials)   410,453  
  15,015     Asics Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     226,057  
  105,481     Astellas Pharma, Inc. (Health Care)     1,325,940  
  27,349     Bandai Namco Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     915,692  
  20,589     Benesse Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     791,309  
  16,811     Bridgestone Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     720,799  
  52,790     Brother Industries Ltd. (Information Technology)     1,249,961  
  31,442     Calbee, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     1,074,159  
  38,225     Canon, Inc. (Information Technology)     1,338,535  
  12,323     Casio Computer Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     173,995  
  2,568     Central Japan Railway Co. (Industrials)     434,689  
  18,413     Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (Utilities)     240,410  
  11,610     Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. (The) (Utilities)     133,759  
  17,744     Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     607,804  
  17,391     Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     205,102  
  8,213     Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (Financials)     132,083  
  22,171     Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     523,555  
  5,868     Daikin Industries Ltd. (Industrials)     586,214  
  5,919     Daito Trust Construction Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     1,047,898  
  10,488     Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     366,594  
  121     Daiwa House REIT Investment Corp. REIT (Real Estate)     295,519  
  23,435     Daiwa Securities Group, Inc. (Financials)     128,141  
  12,915     DeNA Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     275,996  
  4,148     Denso Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     201,106  
  1,815     Disco Corp. (Information Technology)     325,038  
  3,697     East Japan Railway Co. (Industrials)     338,763  
  7,119     Eisai Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     368,304  
  4,041     FamilyMart UNY Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)(a)     218,829  
  3,092     FANUC Corp. (Industrials)     599,521  
  3,853     Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,101,707  
  29,386     Fuji Electric Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     161,802  
  27,849     FUJIFILM Holdings Corp. (Information Technology)     1,093,616  
  153,050     Fujitsu Ltd. (Information Technology)     1,133,482  
  15,365     Hakuhodo DY Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     208,990  
  7,456     Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. (Industrials)     283,851  
  12,709     Hikari Tsushin, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,575,057  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   59


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  3,631     Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. (Health Care)   $ 174,523  
  9,461     Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. (Materials)     255,823  
  28,301     Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     798,425  
  6,366     Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. (Information Technology)     227,027  
  62,757     Hitachi Ltd. (Information Technology)     431,647  
  49,916     Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,397,340  
  2,798     Hoshizaki Corp. (Industrials)     243,293  
  27,242     Hoya Corp. (Health Care)     1,558,135  
  13,600     Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. (Energy)     331,906  
  79,875     ITOCHU Corp. (Industrials)     1,303,430  
  3,935     Japan Airlines Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     135,076  
  5,242     Japan Airport Terminal Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     190,038  
  10,448     Japan Exchange Group, Inc. (Financials)     177,804  
  9,831     Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd. (Financials)     122,017  
  161     Japan Prime Realty Investment Corp. REIT (Real Estate)     577,821  
  134     Japan Retail Fund Investment Corp. REIT (Real Estate)     246,304  
  17,761     Japan Tobacco, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     607,418  
  83,844     JXTG Holdings, Inc. (Energy)     405,584  
  34,955     Kajima Corp. (Industrials)     320,458  
  77,239     Kakaku.com, Inc. (Information Technology)     960,750  
  27,637     Kamigumi Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     305,599  
  73,592     Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (The) (Utilities)     1,029,726  
  4,777     Kansai Paint Co. Ltd. (Materials)     121,053  
  32,320     Kao Corp. (Consumer Staples)     2,015,081  
  26,683     KDDI Corp. (Telecommunication Services)     719,321  
  35,107     Keihan Holdings Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     211,484  
  26,494     Keikyu Corp. (Industrials)     281,165  
  20,745     Keio Corp. (Industrials)     172,467  
  5,497     Keisei Electric Railway Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     149,587  
  2,095     Keyence Corp. (Information Technology)     1,089,948  
  7,254     Kikkoman Corp. (Consumer Staples)     227,058  
  60,338     Kintetsu Group Holdings Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     227,515  
  28,007     Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     635,285  
  3,404     Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     211,861  
  15,833     Komatsu Ltd. (Industrials)     427,977  
  3,232     Konami Holdings Corp. (Information Technology)     168,266  
  106,869     Konica Minolta, Inc. (Information Technology)     852,544  
  11,359     Kose Corp. (Consumer Staples)     1,424,261  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  7,602     Kubota Corp. (Industrials)   131,512  
  17,159     Kuraray Co. Ltd. (Materials)     325,531  
  7,669     Kurita Water Industries Ltd. (Industrials)     220,538  
  5,309     Kyocera Corp. (Information Technology)     318,366  
  10,053     Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. (Utilities)     118,013  
  14,445     Lawson, Inc. (Consumer Staples)(a)     969,912  
  14,653     LINE Corp. (Information Technology)*(a)     516,570  
  54,109     Lion Corp. (Consumer Staples)     1,074,707  
  4,850     LIXIL Group Corp. (Industrials)     127,089  
  29,238     M3, Inc. (Health Care)     758,977  
  3,271     Makita Corp. (Industrials)     131,214  
  125,621     Marubeni Corp. (Industrials)     816,548  
  6,978     Maruichi Steel Tube Ltd. (Materials)     206,373  
  54,546     Mazda Motor Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     802,380  
  12,024     McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     533,684  
  12,009     Medipal Holdings Corp. (Health Care)     211,571  
  17,422     MEIJI Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,386,668  
  7,296     MINEBEA MITSUMI, Inc. (Industrials)     119,788  
  9,599     Miraca Holdings, Inc. (Health Care)     435,644  
  16,381     MISUMI Group, Inc. (Industrials)     419,869  
  122,634     Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (Materials)     1,139,874  
  49,414     Mitsubishi Corp. (Industrials)     1,141,964  
  33,804     Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (Industrials)     499,719  
  10,501     Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     180,710  
  24,802     Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc. (Materials)     614,980  
  4,772     Mitsubishi Materials Corp. (Materials)     171,048  
  16,389     Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     120,915  
  23,762     Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. (Health Care)     582,931  
  242,657     Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     1,486,235  
  123,440     Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Co. Ltd. (Financials)     623,593  
  61,375     Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     917,056  
  36,711     Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Materials)     219,479  
  5,666     Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd. (Real Estate)     122,422  
  69,267     Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. (Industrials)     222,163  
  27,181     Mixi, Inc. (Information Technology)     1,447,217  
  688,723     Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     1,183,332  
  2,480     Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     379,459  
  5,891     Nabtesco Corp. (Industrials)     205,805  
  119,150     Nagoya Railroad Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     532,635  
  395,277     NEC Corp. (Information Technology)     1,045,117  
  7,161     Nexon Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)*     178,472  

 

 

 

 

60   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  15,231     NH Foods Ltd. (Consumer Staples)   $ 446,994  
  3,280     Nidec Corp. (Industrials)     371,332  
  40,913     Nikon Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     673,953  
  1,618     Nintendo Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     538,647  
  6,726     Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     255,449  
  74,964     Nippon Express Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     516,970  
  4,728     Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd. (Materials)     161,094  
  135     Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc. REIT (Real Estate)     292,913  
  27,133     Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. (Materials)     647,016  
  26,649     Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (Telecommunication Services)     1,323,976  
  6,087     Nissan Chemical Industries Ltd. (Materials)     203,803  
  22,307     Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     221,530  
  15,726     Nisshin Seifun Group, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     273,055  
  3,555     Nissin Foods Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     218,998  
  12,469     Nitori Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,923,711  
  1,738     Nitto Denko Corp. (Materials)     153,145  
  223     Nomura Real Estate Master Fund, Inc. REIT (Real Estate)     294,402  
  6,088     Nomura Research Institute Ltd. (Information Technology)     236,749  
  14,058     NSK Ltd. (Industrials)     166,688  
  49,427     NTT Data Corp. (Information Technology)     533,521  
  36,632     NTT DOCOMO, Inc. (Telecommunication Services)     849,898  
  25,406     Obayashi Corp. (Industrials)     299,397  
  4,016     Obic Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     251,411  
  9,831     Odakyu Electric Railway Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     190,260  
  60,923     Oji Holdings Corp. (Materials)     319,394  
  11,120     Olympus Corp. (Health Care)     383,431  
  14,219     Omron Corp. (Information Technology)     713,146  
  10,467     Oracle Corp. Japan (Information Technology)     773,185  
  5,690     Oriental Land Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     426,983  
  35,583     ORIX Corp. (Financials)     568,856  
  97,237     Osaka Gas Co. Ltd. (Utilities)     379,989  
  3,283     Otsuka Corp. (Information Technology)     217,156  
  8,140     Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     327,567  
  48,203     Panasonic Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     641,845  
  18,937     Park24 Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     454,756  
  43,417     Pola Orbis Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     1,394,504  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  85,317     Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd. (Industrials)   1,698,433  
  67,757     Resona Holdings, Inc. (Financials)     337,738  
  1,841     Rinnai Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     159,745  
  3,111     Rohm Co. Ltd. (Information Technology)     241,960  
  4,235     Ryohin Keikaku Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,173,610  
  4,828     Sankyo Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     157,482  
  31,664     SBI Holdings, Inc. (Financials)     439,602  
  4,273     Secom Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     316,884  
  9,934     Sega Sammy Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     142,611  
  7,103     Seiko Epson Corp. (Information Technology)     182,060  
  22,328     Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     415,886  
  11,443     Sekisui House Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     197,960  
  21,254     Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     842,938  
  167,224     Sharp Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)*(a)     501,399  
  15,750     Shimadzu Corp. (Information Technology)     289,213  
  4,063     Shimamura Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     495,416  
  1,340     Shimano, Inc. (Consumer Discretionary)     180,923  
  18,390     Shimizu Corp. (Industrials)     189,815  
  7,135     Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. (Materials)     630,390  
  146,964     Shinsei Bank Ltd. (Financials)     235,014  
  10,108     Shionogi & Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     532,218  
  45,480     Shiseido Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,883,912  
  47,145     Showa Shell Sekiyu KK (Energy)     516,170  
  13,013     SoftBank Group Corp. (Telecommunication Services)     1,054,897  
  5,669     Sompo Holdings, Inc. (Financials)     212,987  
  29,802     Sony Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     1,174,371  
  4,310     Stanley Electric Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     142,936  
  72,870     Start Today Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,264,359  
  11,057     Subaru Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     387,387  
  66,607     Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (Materials)     398,819  
  62,260     Sumitomo Corp. (Industrials)     880,499  
  25,001     Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     339,374  
  12,541     Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     196,217  
  23,755     Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. (Industrials)     176,986  
  36,247     Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     1,354,899  
  38,901     Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     644,344  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   61


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  13,035     Sundrug Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)   $ 539,473  
  15,585     Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     719,351  
  23,911     Suzuken Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     870,103  
  8,139     Suzuki Motor Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     408,651  
  19,173     Sysmex Corp. (Health Care)     1,181,110  
  10,800     T&D Holdings, Inc. (Financials)     148,026  
  50,775     Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (Materials)     195,608  
  41,886     Taisei Corp. (Industrials)     419,773  
  3,025     Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     235,821  
  43,757     Takashimaya Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     401,152  
  13,264     Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Health Care)     732,376  
  15,668     Teijin Ltd. (Materials)     317,745  
  5,928     Terumo Corp. (Health Care)     228,911  
  5,380     THK Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     179,398  
  49,175     Tobu Railway Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     271,655  
  5,971     Toho Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     221,620  
  48,171     Toho Gas Co. Ltd. (Utilities)     317,318  
  20,161     Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. (Utilities)     275,505  
  7,547     Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. (Financials)     301,030  
  237,225     Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings, Inc. (Utilities)*     959,160  
  5,742     Tokyo Electron Ltd. (Information Technology)     806,572  
  67,237     Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. (Utilities)     356,284  
  14,638     Tokyu Corp. (Industrials)     212,800  
  53,981     Tokyu Fudosan Holdings Corp. (Real Estate)     321,748  
  27,058     Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. (Industrials)     270,678  
  31,441     Toray Industries, Inc. (Materials)     299,098  
  38,032     Tosoh Corp. (Materials)     445,768  
  5,426     TOTO Ltd. (Industrials)     206,322  
  9,802     Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd. (Materials)     161,467  
  6,386     Toyo Suisan Kaisha Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     235,863  
  5,434     Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     126,543  
  37,951     Toyota Motor Corp. (Consumer Discretionary)     2,132,028  
  16,106     Toyota Tsusho Corp. (Industrials)     495,355  
  4,030     Trend Micro, Inc. (Information Technology)     186,377  
  4,651     Tsuruha Holdings, Inc. (Consumer Staples)     553,167  
  32,239     Unicharm Corp. (Consumer Staples)     757,789  
  195     United Urban Investment Corp. REIT (Real Estate)     293,935  
  10,326     USS Co Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     202,748  
  5,881     West Japan Railway Co. (Industrials)     426,995  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Japan – (continued)      
  3,409     Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)   236,022  
  86,798     Yamada Denki Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     469,242  
  16,159     Yamaguchi Financial Group, Inc. (Financials)     182,644  
  4,550     Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     128,571  
  85,730     Yamazaki Baking Co. Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,623,309  
  12,438     Yaskawa Electric Corp. (Information Technology)     376,327  
  14,506     Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Information Technology)     225,775  
  19,157     Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (The) (Consumer Discretionary)     354,211  
   

 

 

 
      126,952,299  

 

 

 
Luxembourg – 0.3%      
  26,729     ArcelorMittal (Materials)*     713,101  
  538     Eurofins Scientific SE (Health Care)     307,085  
  9,997     RTL Group SA (Consumer Discretionary)     757,696  
  5,861     SES SA (Consumer Discretionary)     133,823  
   

 

 

 
      1,911,705  

 

 

 
Macau – 0.1%      
  61,210     MGM China Holdings Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)(a)     122,632  
  89,258     Wynn Macau Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     195,932  
   

 

 

 
      318,564  

 

 

 
Mexico – 0.0%      
  7,410     Fresnillo PLC (Materials)     154,298  

 

 

 
Netherlands – 3.2%      
  9,086     ABN AMRO Group NV (Financials)(b)     254,287  
  59,738     Aegon NV (Financials)     340,624  
  4,993     Akzo Nobel NV (Materials)     455,898  
  7,681     Altice NV, Class A (Consumer Discretionary)*     176,886  
  6,693     ASML Holding NV (Information Technology)     1,038,428  
  16,065     Boskalis Westminster (Industrials)     524,286  
  13,992     EXOR NV (Financials)     896,631  
  8,637     Gemalto NV (Information Technology)     466,140  
  15,903     Heineken Holding NV (Consumer Staples)     1,568,152  
  8,294     Heineken NV (Consumer Staples)     869,026  
  90,581     ING Groep NV (Financials)     1,604,606  
  90,478     Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV (Consumer Staples)     1,624,296  
  5,393     Koninklijke DSM NV (Materials)     408,620  
  87,188     Koninklijke KPN NV (Telecommunication Services)     307,967  
  31,749     Koninklijke Philips NV (Health Care)     1,199,580  

 

 

 

 

62   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Netherlands – (continued)      
  4,528     Koninklijke Vopak NV (Energy)   $ 191,404  
  23,013     NN Group NV (Financials)     912,051  
  3,976     NXP Semiconductors NV (Information Technology)*     449,129  
  16,121     Randstad Holding NV (Industrials)     941,158  
  81,329     Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Class A (Energy)     2,229,022  
  63,700     Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Class B (Energy)     1,773,352  
  20,363     Wolters Kluwer NV (Industrials)     888,370  
   

 

 

 
      19,119,913  

 

 

 
New Zealand – 0.1%      
  27,459     Fletcher Building Ltd. (Materials)     160,476  
  90,653     Spark New Zealand Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     254,184  
   

 

 

 
      414,660  

 

 

 
Norway – 0.6%      
  24,422     DNB ASA (Financials)     475,579  
  19,358     Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (Financials)     337,900  
  31,315     Marine Harvest ASA (Consumer Staples)*     620,275  
  76,084     Norsk Hydro ASA (Materials)     547,659  
  25,406     Orkla ASA (Consumer Staples)     260,106  
  27,038     Schibsted ASA, Class A (Consumer Discretionary)     655,111  
  29,006     Schibsted ASA, Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     663,646  
  13,577     Telenor ASA (Telecommunication Services)     274,163  
   

 

 

 
      3,834,439  

 

 

 
Portugal – 0.3%      
  169,596     EDP – Energias de Portugal SA (Utilities)     650,265  
  11,831     Galp Energia SGPS SA (Energy)     195,656  
  34,581     Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA (Consumer Staples)     689,060  
   

 

 

 
      1,534,981  

 

 

 
Singapore – 1.4%      
  188,971     CapitaLand Commercial Trust REIT (Real Estate)     242,128  
  46,211     CapitaLand Ltd. (Real Estate)     128,629  
  102,891     CapitaLand Mall Trust REIT (Real Estate)     164,413  
  17,107     City Developments Ltd. (Real Estate)     147,513  
  77,445     DBS Group Holdings Ltd. (Financials)     1,175,932  
  205,329     Genting Singapore PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     179,172  
  3,616,441     Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. (Consumer Staples)     1,051,910  
  24,095     Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd. (Consumer Discretionary)     708,478  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Singapore – (continued)      
  176,859     Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd. (Financials)   1,454,724  
  188,873     Singapore Exchange Ltd. (Financials)     1,043,113  
  92,930     Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     253,196  
  357,489     StarHub Ltd. (Telecommunication Services)     687,074  
  127,919     Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust REIT (Real Estate)     178,503  
  50,023     United Overseas Bank Ltd. (Financials)     885,164  
  43,298     UOL Group Ltd. (Real Estate)     260,808  
   

 

 

 
      8,560,757  

 

 

 
South Africa – 0.3%      
  45,722     Investec PLC (Financials)     347,599  
  61,586     Mediclinic International PLC (Health Care)     606,682  
  19,934     Mondi PLC (Materials)     542,744  
   

 

 

 
      1,497,025  

 

 

 
Spain – 3.0%      
  14,206     Abertis Infraestructuras SA (Industrials)     287,122  
  33,825     ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA (Industrials)     1,277,213  
  3,642     Aena SA (Industrials)(b)     710,332  
  27,932     Amadeus IT Group SA (Information Technology)     1,729,158  
  95,126     Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (Financials)     839,393  
  315,901     Banco de Sabadell SA (Financials)     693,686  
  387,108     Banco Santander SA (Financials)     2,512,409  
  36,813     Bankia SA (Financials)     178,963  
  20,248     Bankinter SA (Financials)     192,824  
  85,833     CaixaBank SA (Financials)     442,679  
  177,073     Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion SA (Consumer Staples)     1,119,135  
  10,955     Enagas SA (Energy)     322,419  
  20,427     Endesa SA (Utilities)     492,149  
  12,425     Ferrovial SA (Industrials)     282,811  
  9,648     Gas Natural SDG SA (Utilities)     234,227  
  12,953     Grifols SA (Health Care)     365,746  
  108,421     Iberdrola SA (Utilities)     884,394  
  46,458     Industria de Diseno Textil SA (Consumer Discretionary)     1,762,790  
  230,796     Mapfre SA (Financials)     815,771  
  13,364     Red Electrica Corp. SA (Utilities)     299,736  
  101,822     Repsol SA (Energy)     1,746,840  
  69,899     Telefonica SA (Telecommunication Services)     752,829  
   

 

 

 
      17,942,626  

 

 

 
Sweden – 2.5%      
  9,081     Alfa Laval AB (Industrials)     205,418  
  16,960     Assa Abloy AB, Class B (Industrials)     366,168  
  24,827     Atlas Copco AB, Class A (Industrials)     971,571  
  10,072     Atlas Copco AB, Class B (Industrials)     358,966  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   63


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Sweden – (continued)      
  19,248     Boliden AB (Materials)   $ 672,453  
  23,638     Electrolux AB, Series B (Consumer Discretionary)     858,202  
  7,734     Essity AB, Class B (Consumer Staples)*     214,408  
  23,211     Getinge AB, Class B (Health Care)     430,538  
  63,130     Hennes & Mauritz AB, Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     1,594,643  
  7,460     Hexagon AB, Class B (Information Technology)     365,530  
  27,697     Husqvarna AB, Class B (Consumer Discretionary)     278,977  
  6,145     ICA Gruppen AB (Consumer Staples)     244,647  
  25,258     Industrivarden AB, Class C (Financials)     597,379  
  16,831     Investor AB, Class B (Financials)     785,990  
  8,219     Kinnevik AB, Class B (Financials)     246,962  
  6,576     L E Lundbergforetagen AB, Class B (Financials)     508,653  
  55,243     Nordea Bank AB (Financials)     742,141  
  32,812     Sandvik AB (Industrials)     541,413  
  54,933     Securitas AB, Class B (Industrials)     901,588  
  36,095     Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB, Class A (Financials)     469,029  
  8,523     Skanska AB, Class B (Industrials)     192,260  
  8,359     SKF AB, Class B (Industrials)     166,815  
  26,317     Svenska Handelsbanken AB, Class A (Financials)     392,902  
  19,227     Swedbank AB, Class A (Financials)     519,012  
  19,150     Swedish Match AB (Consumer Staples)     681,784  
  19,418     Tele2 AB, Class B (Telecommunication Services)     225,724  
  108,812     Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Class B (Information Technology)     636,817  
  77,198     Telia Co. AB (Telecommunication Services)     367,686  
  29,953     Volvo AB, Class B (Industrials)     510,801  
   

 

 

 
      15,048,477  

 

 

 
Switzerland – 8.9%      
  51,185     ABB Ltd. (Industrials)     1,182,421  
  8,460     Adecco Group AG (Industrials)     611,831  
  3,291     Baloise Holding AG (Financials)     522,930  
  430     Barry Callebaut AG (Consumer Staples)*     617,482  
  114     Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG (Consumer Staples)     652,445  
  8,823     Cie Financiere Richemont SA (Consumer Discretionary)     787,276  
  40,070     Coca-Cola HBC AG (Consumer Staples)*     1,365,156  
  7,868     Credit Suisse Group AG (Financials)*     115,441  
  1,752     Dufry AG (Consumer Discretionary)*     269,454  
  2,078     EMS-Chemie Holding AG (Materials)     1,417,408  
  28,277     Ferguson PLC (Industrials)     1,677,165  
  1,219     Geberit AG (Industrials)     555,717  
  253     Givaudan SA (Materials)     516,004  
  732,977     Glencore PLC (Materials)*     3,395,397  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Switzerland – (continued)      
  5,270     Julius Baer Group Ltd. (Financials)*   293,935  
  12,006     Kuehne + Nagel International AG (Industrials)     2,170,075  
  3,917     LafargeHolcim Ltd. (Materials)*     229,681  
  1,499     Lonza Group AG (Health Care)*     378,728  
  100,002     Nestle SA (Consumer Staples)     8,465,310  
  66,361     Novartis AG (Health Care)     5,586,477  
  5,855     Pargesa Holding SA (Financials)     473,396  
  3,671     Partners Group Holding AG (Financials)     2,376,027  
  23,374     Roche Holding AG (Health Care)     5,922,548  
  1,467     Schindler Holding AG (Industrials)     307,597  
  1,991     Schindler Holding AG Participation Certificates (Industrials)     425,548  
  468     SGS SA (Industrials)     1,043,625  
  121     Sika AG (Materials)     856,191  
  5,266     Sonova Holding AG (Health Care)     888,261  
  95,392     STMicroelectronics NV (Information Technology)     1,650,704  
  1,582     Straumann Holding AG (Health Care)     1,011,591  
  2,557     Swatch Group AG (The) – Bearer (Consumer Discretionary)     1,018,543  
  10,029     Swatch Group AG (The) – Registered (Consumer Discretionary)     775,917  
  3,015     Swiss Life Holding AG (Financials)*     1,076,741  
  3,677     Swiss Prime Site AG (Real Estate)*     332,116  
  13,673     Swiss Re AG (Financials)     1,235,692  
  636     Swisscom AG (Telecommunication Services)     320,052  
  63,972     UBS Group AG (Financials)*     1,051,777  
  3,127     Zurich Insurance Group AG (Financials)     933,545  
   

 

 

 
      52,510,204  

 

 

 
United Kingdom – 13.2%      
  138,373     3i Group PLC (Financials)     1,728,624  
  70,608     Admiral Group PLC (Financials)     1,756,862  
  119,115     Anglo American PLC (Materials)     2,152,637  
  15,112     Ashtead Group PLC (Industrials)     323,829  
  7,773     Associated British Foods PLC (Consumer Staples)     332,728  
  32,988     AstraZeneca PLC (Health Care)     1,930,229  
  267,060     Auto Trader Group PLC (Information Technology)(b)     1,216,121  
  95,792     Aviva PLC (Financials)     644,936  
  72,207     BAE Systems PLC (Industrials)     565,232  
  245,054     Barclays PLC (Financials)     603,426  
  114,675     Barratt Developments PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     922,789  
  2,483     Berkeley Group Holdings PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     119,692  
  387,110     BP PLC (Energy)     2,220,456  
  47,264     British American Tobacco PLC (Consumer Staples)     2,942,177  
  27,336     British Land Co. PLC (The) REIT (Real Estate)     215,393  
  48,107     BT Group PLC (Telecommunication Services)     181,347  

 

 

 

 

64   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
United Kingdom – (continued)      
  11,223     Bunzl PLC (Industrials)   $ 334,058  
  77,125     Burberry Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     1,785,848  
  160,506     Centrica PLC (Utilities)     413,433  
  33,658     CNH Industrial NV (Industrials)     381,352  
  3,599     Coca-Cola European Partners PLC (Consumer Staples)     153,910  
  60,351     Compass Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     1,284,683  
  41,319     ConvaTec Group PLC (Health Care)*(b)     152,750  
  10,124     Croda International PLC (Materials)     501,200  
  3,649     DCC PLC (Industrials)     331,250  
  50,635     Diageo PLC (Consumer Staples)     1,691,170  
  53,647     Direct Line Insurance Group PLC (Financials)     262,751  
  65,161     Dixons Carphone PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     145,592  
  29,482     Experian PLC (Industrials)     590,350  
  120,880     Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (Consumer Discretionary)*     1,817,984  
  56,365     G4S PLC (Industrials)     205,904  
  68,515     GKN PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     281,541  
  122,773     GlaxoSmithKline PLC (Health Care)     2,425,985  
  40,513     Hammerson PLC REIT (Real Estate)     292,859  
  80,779     Hargreaves Lansdown PLC (Financials)     1,457,229  
  486,102     HSBC Holdings PLC (Financials)     4,700,883  
  10,480     IMI PLC (Industrials)     153,271  
  28,028     Imperial Brands PLC (Consumer Staples)     1,155,876  
  10,597     InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     526,528  
  116,703     International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (Industrials)     922,259  
  7,795     Intertek Group PLC (Industrials)     513,261  
  69,801     Intu Properties PLC REIT (Real Estate)     223,776  
  400,031     J Sainsbury PLC (Consumer Staples)     1,214,424  
  9,023     Johnson Matthey PLC (Materials)     321,359  
  213,256     Kingfisher PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     821,351  
  18,719     Land Securities Group PLC REIT (Real Estate)     243,616  
  269,001     Legal & General Group PLC (Financials)     901,909  
  677,657     Lloyds Banking Group PLC (Financials)     557,273  
  12,761     London Stock Exchange Group PLC (Financials)     649,506  
  256,796     Marks & Spencer Group PLC (Consumer Discretionary)(a)     1,057,539  
  56,441     Meggitt PLC (Industrials)     376,726  
  58,627     Merlin Entertainments PLC (Consumer Discretionary)(b)     348,484  
  45,574     National Grid PLC (Utilities)     572,387  
  17,167     Next PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     913,357  
  79,549     Old Mutual PLC (Financials)     212,693  
  20,571     Persimmon PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     704,815  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
United Kingdom – (continued)      
  49,725     Provident Financial PLC (Financials)(a)   565,766  
  67,102     Prudential PLC (Financials)     1,569,759  
  9,723     Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (Consumer Staples)     918,595  
  48,351     RELX NV (Industrials)     1,013,739  
  41,976     RELX PLC (Industrials)     914,631  
  5,763     Rio Tinto Ltd. (Materials)     310,091  
  25,497     Rio Tinto PLC (Materials)     1,230,881  
  29,378     Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (Industrials)*     345,995  
  264,841     Royal Mail PLC (Industrials)     1,345,251  
  59,635     RSA Insurance Group PLC (Financials)     512,157  
  163,335     Sage Group PLC (The) (Information Technology)     1,457,472  
  13,043     Schroders PLC (Financials)     566,045  
  92,352     Segro PLC REIT (Real Estate)     640,221  
  14,393     Severn Trent PLC (Utilities)     420,811  
  39,106     Sky PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     481,729  
  57,567     Smith & Nephew PLC (Health Care)     1,036,266  
  22,591     Smiths Group PLC (Industrials)     449,744  
  25,541     SSE PLC (Utilities)     468,980  
  14,790     St James’s Place PLC (Financials)     219,735  
  42,778     Standard Chartered PLC (Financials)*     424,436  
  51,160     Tate & Lyle PLC (Consumer Staples)     450,578  
  397,582     Tesco PLC (Consumer Staples)*     926,759  
  48,937     Unilever NV (Consumer Staples)     2,909,641  
  50,023     Unilever PLC (Consumer Staples)     2,912,818  
  32,538     United Utilities Group PLC (Utilities)     381,534  
  519,786     Vodafone Group PLC (Telecommunication Services)     1,482,871  
  5,394     Weir Group PLC (The) (Industrials)     124,760  
  16,246     Whitbread PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     786,692  
  753,015     Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (Consumer Staples)     2,386,932  
  64,588     Worldpay Group PLC (Information Technology)(b)     347,048  
  79,433     WPP PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     1,453,418  
   

 

 

 
      78,512,975  

 

 

 
United States – 0.6%      
  9,511     Carnival PLC (Consumer Discretionary)     658,728  
  24,847     QIAGEN NV (Health Care)*     796,267  
  20,741     Shire PLC (Health Care)     1,024,534  
  3,306     Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Health Care)*(a)     346,601  
  68,066     Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (Health Care)*     911,528  
   

 

 

 
      3,737,658  

 

 

 
  TOTAL COMMON STOCKS  
  (Cost $518,911,387)   $ 588,996,106  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   65


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Preferred Stocks – 0.4%  
Germany – 0.4%  
  1,505     Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Consumer Discretionary)   $ 124,696  
  23,046     FUCHS PETROLUB SE (Materials)     1,279,551  
  7,035     Henkel AG & Co KGaA (Consumer Staples)     941,358  
  969     Volkswagen AG (Consumer Discretionary)     144,408  

 

 

 
  TOTAL PREFERRED STOCKS  
  (Cost $2,167,739)   $ 2,490,013  

 

 

 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITIES LENDING
REINVESTMENT VEHICLE
 
 
  (Cost $521,079,126)   $ 591,486,119  

 

 

 
   
Shares    

Distribution

rate

  Value  
Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle – 1.2%(c)  
 

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund –
Institutional Shares

 
 
  6,961,512     0.93%   $ 6,961,512  
  (Cost $6,961,512)  

 

 

 
  TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 100.9%  
  (Cost $528,040,638)   $ 598,447,631  

 

 

 
 

LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF

    OTHER ASSETS – (0.9)%

    (5,319,100

 

 

 
  NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 593,128,531  

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Security is currently in default and/or non-income producing.

(a)

  All or a portion of security is on loan.

(b)

  Exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, such securities may be deemed liquid by the Investment Adviser and may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers in transactions exempt from registration. Total market value of Rule 144A securities amounts to $6,661,490, which represents approximately 1.1% of net assets as of August 31, 2017.

(c)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

ADR

 

—American Depositary Receipt

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

REIT

 

—Real Estate Investment Trust

 

 

66   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® JAPAN EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – 99.5%  
Consumer Discretionary – 20.4%      
  1,291     ABC-Mart, Inc.   $ 66,274  
  1,206     Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd.     60,596  
  3,500     Asics Corp.     52,694  
  6,873     Bandai Namco Holdings, Inc.     230,120  
  2,919     Benesse Holdings, Inc.     112,188  
  8,123     Bridgestone Corp.     348,287  
  4,717     Casio Computer Co. Ltd.     66,602  
  3,309     Denso Corp.     160,429  
  1,359     Dentsu, Inc.     56,800  
  1,189     Don Quijote Holdings Co. Ltd.     45,103  
  602     Fast Retailing Co. Ltd.     172,133  
  3,320     Hakuhodo DY Holdings, Inc.     45,158  
  1,181     Hikari Tsushin, Inc.     146,364  
  18,824     Honda Motor Co. Ltd.     526,956  
  1,842     Iida Group Holdings Co. Ltd.     31,280  
  2,577     Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd.     26,505  
  2,243     Isuzu Motors Ltd.     29,306  
  1,786     J Front Retailing Co. Ltd.     24,909  
  1,406     Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.     87,508  
  863     Marui Group Co. Ltd.     12,068  
  19,466     Mazda Motor Corp.     286,348  
  3,375     McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan Ltd.     149,799  
  2,076     Mitsubishi Motors Corp.     15,316  
  637     NGK Spark Plug Co. Ltd.     12,125  
  9,280     Nikon Corp.     152,868  
  15,671     Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.     155,628  
  1,667     Nitori Holdings Co. Ltd.     257,184  
  1,632     NOK Corp.     36,685  
  1,377     Oriental Land Co. Ltd.     103,331  
  24,855     Panasonic Corp.     330,956  
  2,712     Rakuten, Inc.     32,169  
  666     Rinnai Corp.     57,789  
  569     Ryohin Keikaku Co. Ltd.     157,682  
  964     Sankyo Co. Ltd.     31,444  
  4,442     Sega Sammy Holdings, Inc.     63,768  
  9,487     Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd.     176,707  
  3,376     Sekisui House Ltd.     58,404  
  38,221     Sharp Corp.*(a)     114,600  
  928     Shimamura Co. Ltd.     113,154  
  629     Shimano, Inc.     84,926  
  13,770     Sony Corp.     542,618  
  2,821     Stanley Electric Co. Ltd.     93,555  
  6,695     Start Today Co. Ltd.     208,040  
  6,301     Subaru Corp.     220,758  
  4,873     Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.     76,243  
  13,203     Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.     218,690  
  4,410     Suzuki Motor Corp.     221,422  
  24,914     Takashimaya Co. Ltd.     228,405  
  1,680     Toho Co. Ltd.     62,355  
  2,535     Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd.     59,033  
  533     Toyota Industries Corp.     28,379  
  28,011     Toyota Motor Corp.     1,573,615  
  1,526     USS Co Ltd.     29,963  
  38,402     Yamada Denki Co. Ltd.     207,607  
  2,142     Yamaha Corp.     74,540  
  2,146     Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd.     60,640  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Discretionary – (continued)      
  9,245     Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (The)   170,939  
   

 

 

 
      8,768,965  

 

 

 
Consumer Staples – 10.2%      
  7,367     Aeon Co. Ltd.(a)     108,571  
  6,782     Ajinomoto Co., Inc.     133,810  
  7,100     Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.     308,940  
  2,281     Calbee, Inc.     77,926  
  2,695     Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan, Inc.     92,315  
  1,836     FamilyMart UNY Holdings Co. Ltd.(a)     99,424  
  6,132     Kao Corp.     382,317  
  2,938     Kikkoman Corp.     91,963  
  16,950     Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd.     384,478  
  1,045     Kose Corp.     131,028  
  1,985     Lawson, Inc.     133,283  
  7,108     Lion Corp.     141,178  
  2,285     MEIJI Holdings Co. Ltd.     181,870  
  4,488     NH Foods Ltd.     131,712  
  7,193     Nisshin Seifun Group, Inc.     124,894  
  1,290     Nissin Foods Holdings Co. Ltd.     79,468  
  4,864     Pola Orbis Holdings, Inc.     156,226  
  9,572     Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd.     379,627  
  6,072     Shiseido Co. Ltd.     251,520  
  2,835     Sundrug Co. Ltd.     117,331  
  4,405     Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd.     203,320  
  2,784     Toyo Suisan Kaisha Ltd.     102,825  
  1,137     Tsuruha Holdings, Inc.     135,229  
  7,346     Unicharm Corp.     172,670  
  1,151     Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd.     79,689  
  8,865     Yamazaki Baking Co. Ltd.     167,860  
   

 

 

 
      4,369,474  

 

 

 
Energy – 1.3%      
  4,427     Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd.     108,040  
  2,981     Inpex Corp.     28,466  
  42,279     JXTG Holdings, Inc.     204,519  
  19,622     Showa Shell Sekiyu KK     214,833  
   

 

 

 
      555,858  

 

 

 
Financials – 10.6%      
  1,867     AEON Financial Service Co. Ltd.     39,542  
  19,059     Aozora Bank Ltd.     72,038  
  1,250     Bank of Kyoto Ltd. (The)     11,550  
  2,849     Chiba Bank Ltd. (The)     19,052  
  1,226     Chugoku Bank Ltd. (The)     16,509  
  9,732     Concordia Financial Group Ltd.     46,502  
  1,502     Credit Saison Co. Ltd.     27,226  
  10,931     Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc.     175,794  
  12,822     Daiwa Securities Group, Inc.     70,110  
  2,769     Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc.     12,152  
  3,004     Hachijuni Bank Ltd. (The)     18,287  
  2,856     Hiroshima Bank Ltd. (The)     11,470  
  7,303     Japan Exchange Group, Inc.     124,282  
  2,304     Japan Post Bank Co. Ltd.     29,308  
  2,525     Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd.     31,339  
  1,576     Kyushu Financial Group, Inc.     9,594  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   67


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® JAPAN EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  20,724     Mebuki Financial Group, Inc.   $ 73,436  
  131,987     Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.     808,399  
  38,947     Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Co. Ltd.     196,752  
  275,004     Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.     472,499  
  4,468     MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.     147,323  
  20,790     Nomura Holdings, Inc.     115,699  
  19,570     ORIX Corp.     312,860  
  32,834     Resona Holdings, Inc.     163,663  
  5,839     SBI Holdings, Inc.     81,065  
  15,340     Seven Bank Ltd.     58,121  
  8,923     Shinsei Bank Ltd.     14,269  
  2,442     Shizuoka Bank Ltd. (The)     21,323  
  4,596     Sompo Holdings, Inc.     172,674  
  928     Sony Financial Holdings, Inc.     14,688  
  17,276     Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.     645,770  
  1,453     Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc.     50,246  
  3,507     Suruga Bank Ltd.     74,945  
  6,113     T&D Holdings, Inc.     83,786  
  7,626     Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.     304,181  
  3,307     Yamaguchi Financial Group, Inc.     37,379  
   

 

 

 
      4,563,833  

 

 

 
Health Care – 7.4%      
  7,555     Alfresa Holdings Corp.     142,025  
  1,982     Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.     80,497  
  10,868     Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.     256,641  
  2,532     Eisai Co. Ltd.     130,994  
  1,652     Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc.     79,403  
  6,009     Hoya Corp.     343,691  
  5,747     Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd.     100,831  
  3,397     M3, Inc.     88,181  
  4,862     Medipal Holdings Corp.     85,657  
  2,695     Miraca Holdings, Inc.     122,311  
  4,490     Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp.     110,149  
  3,609     Olympus Corp.     124,443  
  2,399     Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.     48,848  
  5,772     Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd.     232,275  
  4,397     Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.     68,156  
  4,092     Shionogi & Co. Ltd.     215,457  
  6,791     Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd.     92,184  
  3,748     Suzuken Co. Ltd.     136,387  
  2,237     Sysmex Corp.     137,805  
  1,028     Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd.     80,140  
  6,971     Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.     384,906  
  3,794     Terumo Corp.     146,507  
   

 

 

 
      3,207,488  

 

 

 
Industrials – 18.4%      
  3,969     Amada Holdings Co. Ltd.     43,527  
  14,932     ANA Holdings, Inc.     55,327  
  2,497     Asahi Glass Co. Ltd.     97,330  
  1,421     Central Japan Railway Co.     240,535  
  4,335     Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd.     51,125  
  2,694     Daikin Industries Ltd.     269,131  
  2,727     East Japan Railway Co.     249,880  
  1,618     FANUC Corp.     313,721  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  11,573     Fuji Electric Co. Ltd.   63,722  
  2,008     Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.     76,445  
  809     Hino Motors Ltd.     9,284  
  3,685     Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd.     103,961  
  994     Hoshizaki Corp.     86,431  
  13,908     IHI Corp.*     45,998  
  24,991     ITOCHU Corp.     407,812  
  1,500     Japan Airlines Co. Ltd.     51,490  
  1,237     Japan Airport Terminal Co. Ltd.     44,845  
  973     JGC Corp.     15,621  
  12,671     Kajima Corp.     116,164  
  5,575     Kamigumi Co. Ltd.     61,646  
  6,131     Keihan Holdings Co. Ltd.     36,933  
  6,932     Keikyu Corp.     73,565  
  5,289     Keio Corp.     43,971  
  1,413     Keisei Electric Railway Co. Ltd.     38,451  
  13,018     Kintetsu Group Holdings Co. Ltd.     49,087  
  8,530     Komatsu Ltd.     230,572  
  6,688     Kubota Corp.     115,700  
  1,327     Kurita Water Industries Ltd.     38,161  
  1,032     Kyushu Railway Co.     32,256  
  3,497     LIXIL Group Corp.     91,635  
  2,293     Makita Corp.     91,982  
  58,620     Marubeni Corp.     381,035  
  3,633     MINEBEA MITSUMI, Inc.     59,648  
  6,258     MISUMI Group, Inc.     160,402  
  21,712     Mitsubishi Corp.     501,767  
  20,044     Mitsubishi Electric Corp.     296,307  
  10,645     Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.     40,709  
  23,437     Mitsui & Co. Ltd.     350,192  
  27,899     Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd.     89,482  
  2,239     Nabtesco Corp.     78,221  
  21,560     Nagoya Railroad Co. Ltd.     96,379  
  779     NGK Insulators Ltd.     14,531  
  1,824     Nidec Corp.     206,497  
  18,191     Nippon Express Co. Ltd.     125,449  
  5,993     Nippon Yusen KK*     11,871  
  5,616     NSK Ltd.     66,590  
  6,234     Obayashi Corp.     73,464  
  2,039     Odakyu Electric Railway Co. Ltd.     39,461  
  3,384     Park24 Co. Ltd.     81,264  
  17,847     Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd.     355,286  
  1,446     Secom Co. Ltd.     107,235  
  1,374     Seibu Holdings, Inc.     23,607  
  6,489     Shimizu Corp.     66,977  
  250     SMC Corp.     85,658  
  917     Sohgo Security Services Co. Ltd.     40,034  
  30,494     Sumitomo Corp.     431,255  
  7,041     Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd.     52,459  
  7,480     Taisei Corp.     74,963  
  1,117     THK Co. Ltd.     37,247  
  9,011     Tobu Railway Co. Ltd.     49,779  
  2,953     Tokyu Corp.     42,929  
  5,299     Toppan Printing Co. Ltd.     53,009  
  13,741     Toshiba Corp.*     38,204  
  2,750     TOTO Ltd.     104,568  

 

 

 

 

68   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® JAPAN EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  10,236     Toyota Tsusho Corp.   $ 314,818  
  762     West Japan Railway Co.     55,326  
  2,505     Yamato Holdings Co. Ltd.     53,350  
   

 

 

 
      7,906,281  

 

 

 
Information Technology – 13.9%      
  1,479     Alps Electric Co. Ltd.     40,583  
  6,853     Brother Industries Ltd.     162,265  
  12,748     Canon, Inc.     446,400  
  2,486     DeNA Co. Ltd.     53,126  
  697     Disco Corp.     124,822  
  6,431     FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.     252,542  
  36,419     Fujitsu Ltd.     269,718  
  2,366     Hamamatsu Photonics KK     73,198  
  200     Hirose Electric Co. Ltd.     27,658  
  2,177     Hitachi High-Technologies Corp.     77,637  
  41,977     Hitachi Ltd.     288,721  
  6,438     Kakaku.com, Inc.     80,080  
  1,092     Keyence Corp.     568,126  
  2,144     Konami Holdings Corp.     111,622  
  16,024     Konica Minolta, Inc.     127,831  
  2,269     Kyocera Corp.     136,066  
  1,800     LINE Corp.*(a)     63,456  
  2,783     Mixi, Inc.     148,177  
  1,668     Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.     255,216  
  129,386     NEC Corp.     342,098  
  4,603     Nexon Co. Ltd.*     114,719  
  814     Nintendo Co. Ltd.     270,988  
  1,689     Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd.     64,147  
  2,373     Nomura Research Institute Ltd.     92,281  
  16,190     NTT Data Corp.     174,757  
  686     Obic Co. Ltd.     42,945  
  3,636     Omron Corp.     182,362  
  1,687     Oracle Corp. Japan     124,617  
  1,822     Otsuka Corp.     120,517  
  8,451     Ricoh Co. Ltd.     84,541  
  1,296     Rohm Co. Ltd.     100,797  
  4,394     Seiko Epson Corp.     112,625  
  4,694     Shimadzu Corp.     86,195  
  465     TDK Corp.     31,138  
  2,098     Tokyo Electron Ltd.     294,704  
  1,923     Trend Micro, Inc.     88,934  
  11,080     Yahoo Japan Corp.     50,739  
  6,020     Yaskawa Electric Corp.     182,142  
  6,667     Yokogawa Electric Corp.     103,767  
   

 

 

 
      5,972,257  

 

 

 
Materials – 6.3%      
  3,020     Air Water, Inc.     55,648  
  15,014     Asahi Kasei Corp.     179,661  
  835     Daicel Corp.     10,629  
  3,347     Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd.     90,502  
  2,830     Hitachi Metals Ltd.     37,773  
  1,261     JFE Holdings, Inc.     24,885  
  2,737     JSR Corp.     53,268  
  4,276     Kaneka Corp.     33,257  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Materials – (continued)      
  2,351     Kansai Paint Co. Ltd.   59,576  
  6,304     Kuraray Co. Ltd.     119,596  
  1,138     Maruichi Steel Tube Ltd.     33,656  
  30,452     Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp.     283,049  
  4,685     Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc.     116,167  
  2,917     Mitsubishi Materials Corp.     104,557  
  25,170     Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.     150,480  
  1,844     Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd.     62,829  
  4,966     Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp.     118,420  
  2,519     Nissan Chemical Industries Ltd.     84,341  
  1,352     Nitto Denko Corp.     119,132  
  34,127     Oji Holdings Corp.     178,914  
  3,294     Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.     291,031  
  11,988     Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd.     71,780  
  1,626     Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd.     27,996  
  6,066     Taiheiyo Cement Corp.     23,369  
  2,698     Teijin Ltd.     54,715  
  10,389     Toray Industries, Inc.     98,831  
  10,021     Tosoh Corp.     117,455  
  7,096     Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd.     116,891  
   

 

 

 
      2,718,408  

 

 

 
Real Estate – 3.6%      
  1,233     Aeon Mall Co. Ltd.     22,137  
  1,532     Daito Trust Construction Co. Ltd.     271,225  
  6,690     Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd.     233,840  
  35     Daiwa House REIT Investment Corp. REIT     85,481  
  2,033     Hulic Co. Ltd.     20,116  
  12     Japan Prime Realty Investment Corp. REIT     43,067  
  13     Japan Real Estate Investment Corp. REIT     67,327  
  25     Japan Retail Fund Investment Corp. REIT     45,952  
  7,191     Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd.     123,749  
  6,573     Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd.     142,019  
  14     Nippon Building Fund, Inc. REIT     74,414  
  21     Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc. REIT     45,564  
  2,449     Nomura Real Estate Holdings, Inc.     50,533  
  68     Nomura Real Estate Master Fund, Inc. REIT     89,773  
  2,472     Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. Ltd.     74,726  
  3,215     Tokyo Tatemono Co. Ltd.     39,552  
  11,937     Tokyu Fudosan Holdings Corp.     71,149  
  39     United Urban Investment Corp. REIT     58,787  
   

 

 

 
      1,559,411  

 

 

 
Telecommunication Services – 4.5%      
  17,562     KDDI Corp.     473,437  
  8,482     Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.     421,403  
  13,479     NTT DOCOMO, Inc.     312,726  
  8,898     SoftBank Group Corp.     721,315  
   

 

 

 
      1,928,881  

 

 

 
Utilities – 2.9%      
  4,748     Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.     61,992  
  3,776     Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. (The)     43,503  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   69


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® JAPAN EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Utilities – (continued)      
  1,374     Electric Power Development Co. Ltd.   $ 37,577  
  27,072     Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (The)     378,802  
  2,859     Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc.     33,562  
  21,944     Osaka Gas Co. Ltd.     85,754  
  12,876     Toho Gas Co. Ltd.     84,818  
  3,908     Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc.     53,404  
  85,647     Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings, Inc.*     346,292  
  21,080     Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd.     111,702  
   

 

 

 
      1,237,406  

 

 

 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITIES LENDING
REINVESTMENT VEHICLE
 
 
  (Cost $36,662,241)   $ 42,788,262  

 

 

 

 

Shares     Distribution
Rate
  Value  
Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle – 0.7%(b)  
 

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund –
Institutional Shares

 
 
  288,307     0.93%   $ 288,307  
  (Cost $288,307)  

 

 

 
  TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 100.2%  
  (Cost $36,950,548)   $ 43,076,569  

 

 

 
 

LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF

    OTHER ASSETS – (0.2)%

    (84,971

 

 

 
  NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 42,991,598  

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Security is currently in default and/or on-income producing.

(a)

  All or a portion of security is on loan.

(b)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

REIT

 

—Real Estate Investment Trust

 

 

70   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – 99.5%  
Consumer Discretionary – 13.9%      
  25,400     Advance Auto Parts, Inc.   $ 2,486,660  
  34,137     Amazon.com, Inc.*     33,474,742  
  80,557     Aramark     3,277,864  
  10,666     AutoZone, Inc.*     5,636,341  
  194,722     Best Buy Co., Inc.     10,565,616  
  29,420     BorgWarner, Inc.     1,365,382  
  53,736     Carnival Corp.     3,733,577  
  53,458     CBS Corp., Class B     3,424,519  
  9,965     Charter Communications, Inc., Class A*     3,971,451  
  112,829     Coach, Inc.     4,704,969  
  339,024     Comcast Corp., Class A     13,767,765  
  26,739     Darden Restaurants, Inc.     2,195,004  
  55,600     Dollar General Corp.     4,034,336  
  46,319     Dollar Tree, Inc.*     3,688,845  
  32,296     Domino’s Pizza, Inc.     5,886,269  
  20,017     DR Horton, Inc.     723,615  
  19,185     Expedia, Inc.     2,846,287  
  107,161     Foot Locker, Inc.     3,775,282  
  817,786     Ford Motor Co.     9,020,180  
  26,652     General Motors Co.     973,864  
  51,050     Genuine Parts Co.     4,228,471  
  111,495     Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (The)     3,378,298  
  32,344     Hanesbrands, Inc.     784,665  
  42,777     Hasbro, Inc.     4,202,840  
  43,661     Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.     2,808,712  
  140,780     Home Depot, Inc. (The)     21,098,699  
  93,207     L Brands, Inc.     3,375,958  
  36,070     Las Vegas Sands Corp.     2,243,915  
  49,346     Lear Corp.     7,379,201  
  15,899     Lennar Corp., Class A     822,932  
  22,100     Liberty Broadband Corp., Class C*     2,243,813  
  21,215     LKQ Corp.*     735,100  
  130,432     Lowe’s Cos., Inc.     9,637,620  
  373,663     Macy’s, Inc.     7,760,981  
  32,574     Marriott International, Inc., Class A     3,374,015  
  95,819     Mattel, Inc.     1,554,184  
  68,615     McDonald’s Corp.     10,976,342  
  22,539     MGM Resorts International     742,885  
  6,031     Mohawk Industries, Inc.*     1,526,567  
  52,289     Netflix, Inc.*     9,135,411  
  176,004     NIKE, Inc., Class B     9,294,771  
  23,537     Omnicom Group, Inc.     1,703,608  
  26,975     O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.*     5,290,607  
  5,024     Priceline Group, Inc. (The)*     9,304,850  
  74,352     PVH Corp.     9,360,173  
  136,785     Ross Stores, Inc.     7,995,083  
  14,246     Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.     1,773,057  
  141,539     Starbucks Corp.     7,764,830  
  161,808     Target Corp.     8,823,390  
  5,593     Tesla, Inc.*(a)     1,990,549  
  37,980     Tiffany & Co.     3,471,372  
  55,772     Time Warner, Inc.     5,638,549  
  111,962     TJX Cos., Inc. (The)     8,094,853  
  58,196     Tractor Supply Co.     3,463,244  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Discretionary – (continued)      
  25,818     Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., Class A   712,319  
  22,632     Ulta Beauty, Inc.*     5,001,898  
  85,932     VF Corp.     5,402,545  
  106,543     Walt Disney Co. (The)     10,782,152  
  27,185     Wyndham Worldwide Corp.     2,709,801  
  3,755     Wynn Resorts Ltd.     521,907  
  54,982     Yum China Holdings, Inc.*     1,944,164  
  55,033     Yum! Brands, Inc.     4,227,635  
   

 

 

 
      332,834,534  

 

 

 
Consumer Staples – 11.0%      
  192,626     Altria Group, Inc.     12,212,488  
  91,789     Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.     3,792,721  
  96,720     Brown-Forman Corp., Class B     5,130,029  
  139,987     Bunge Ltd.     10,447,230  
  63,813     Campbell Soup Co.     2,948,161  
  89,238     Church & Dwight Co., Inc.     4,477,070  
  62,826     Clorox Co. (The)     8,703,286  
  302,632     Coca-Cola Co. (The)     13,784,888  
  132,207     Colgate-Palmolive Co.     9,471,309  
  87,243     Conagra Brands, Inc.     2,831,908  
  8,174     Constellation Brands, Inc., Class A     1,635,617  
  61,214     Costco Wholesale Corp.     9,594,682  
  147,909     CVS Health Corp.     11,439,282  
  68,636     Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.     6,249,308  
  83,365     Estee Lauder Cos., Inc. (The), Class A     8,919,221  
  65,767     General Mills, Inc.     3,502,750  
  57,355     Hershey Co. (The)     6,017,687  
  76,210     Hormel Foods Corp.     2,342,695  
  32,086     Ingredion, Inc.     3,972,889  
  41,045     JM Smucker Co. (The)     4,299,874  
  45,378     Kellogg Co.     2,970,444  
  57,955     Kimberly-Clark Corp.     7,145,272  
  21,405     Kraft Heinz Co. (The)     1,728,454  
  226,392     Kroger Co. (The)     4,951,193  
  41,551     McCormick & Co., Inc.     3,952,747  
  16,775     Molson Coors Brewing Co., Class B     1,505,556  
  54,500     Mondelez International, Inc., Class A     2,215,970  
  27,957     Monster Beverage Corp.*     1,560,560  
  161,013     PepsiCo, Inc.     18,634,035  
  150,747     Philip Morris International, Inc.     17,626,847  
  222,957     Procter & Gamble Co. (The)     20,572,242  
  141,496     Sysco Corp.     7,452,594  
  178,734     Tyson Foods, Inc., Class A     11,313,862  
  109,865     Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.     8,953,998  
  258,785     Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.     20,203,345  
   

 

 

 
      262,560,214  

 

 

 
Energy – 2.8%      
  19,850     Andeavor     1,987,978  
  112,473     Chevron Corp.     12,104,344  
  57,046     ConocoPhillips     2,490,628  
  5,268     EOG Resources, Inc.     447,727  
  326,790     Exxon Mobil Corp.     24,943,881  
  96,472     Marathon Petroleum Corp.     5,059,957  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   71


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Energy – (continued)      
  38,432     National Oilwell Varco, Inc.   $ 1,178,710  
  21,344     Occidental Petroleum Corp.     1,274,237  
  8,489     ONEOK, Inc.     459,764  
  12,916     Phillips 66     1,082,490  
  34,630     Schlumberger Ltd.     2,199,351  
  19,902     Targa Resources Corp.     887,032  
  178,893     Valero Energy Corp.     12,182,613  
  55,662     Williams Cos., Inc. (The)     1,654,831  
   

 

 

 
      67,953,543  

 

 

 
Financials – 12.5%      
  44,803     Aflac, Inc.     3,698,488  
  2,552     Alleghany Corp.*     1,436,189  
  63,799     Allstate Corp. (The)     5,773,810  
  316,060     Ally Financial, Inc.     7,142,956  
  77,110     American Express Co.     6,639,171  
  38,546     American International Group, Inc.     2,331,262  
  8,573     Ameriprise Financial, Inc.     1,187,446  
  296,002     Annaly Capital Management, Inc. REIT     3,700,025  
  38,251     Aon PLC     5,323,009  
  36,680     Arch Capital Group Ltd.*     3,570,431  
  58,149     Arthur J Gallagher & Co.     3,366,827  
  838,409     Bank of America Corp.     20,029,591  
  66,136     Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (The)     3,457,590  
  74,779     BB&T Corp.     3,446,564  
  76,912     Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class B*     13,933,378  
  4,973     BlackRock, Inc.     2,083,737  
  4,230     Brighthouse Financial, Inc.*     241,406  
  87,304     Capital One Financial Corp.     6,950,271  
  57,652     CBOE Holdings, Inc.     5,816,510  
  60,790     Charles Schwab Corp. (The)     2,425,521  
  31,201     Chubb Ltd.     4,412,445  
  23,616     Cincinnati Financial Corp.     1,814,653  
  28,697     CIT Group, Inc.     1,287,060  
  255,716     Citigroup, Inc.     17,396,359  
  59,397     Citizens Financial Group, Inc.     1,967,823  
  32,479     CME Group, Inc.     4,085,858  
  31,094     Comerica, Inc.     2,122,166  
  42,663     Discover Financial Services     2,514,984  
  41,726     E*TRADE Financial Corp.*     1,711,183  
  12,974     Everest Re Group Ltd.     3,275,676  
  167,468     Fifth Third Bancorp     4,375,939  
  17,599     First Republic Bank     1,707,983  
  58,428     Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)     3,159,202  
  83,955     Huntington Bancshares, Inc.     1,056,993  
  41,879     Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.     2,708,315  
  339,550     JPMorgan Chase & Co.     30,861,700  
  115,105     KeyCorp     1,980,957  
  33,729     Lincoln National Corp.     2,288,850  
  41,861     Loews Corp.     1,949,885  
  18,880     M&T Bank Corp.     2,791,597  
  2,108     Markel Corp.*     2,217,595  
  86,226     Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.     6,732,526  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  46,630     MetLife, Inc.   2,183,683  
  9,269     Moody’s Corp.     1,242,324  
  152,296     Morgan Stanley     6,929,468  
  36,035     MSCI, Inc.     4,129,971  
  30,256     Northern Trust Corp.     2,677,656  
  37,774     PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)     4,737,237  
  43,171     Principal Financial Group, Inc.     2,699,051  
  95,013     Progressive Corp. (The)     4,416,204  
  52,874     Prudential Financial, Inc.     5,397,378  
  25,048     Raymond James Financial, Inc.     1,961,759  
  139,317     Regions Financial Corp.     1,965,763  
  56,753     S&P Global, Inc.     8,758,690  
  26,508     State Street Corp.     2,451,725  
  32,877     SunTrust Banks, Inc.     1,811,523  
  11,050     SVB Financial Group*     1,871,207  
  92,078     Synchrony Financial     2,835,082  
  40,730     T Rowe Price Group, Inc.     3,435,983  
  42,536     TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.     1,842,660  
  50,126     Travelers Cos., Inc. (The)     6,074,269  
  60,379     Unum Group     2,909,060  
  102,048     US Bancorp     5,229,960  
  365,053     Wells Fargo & Co.     18,643,257  
  10,678     Willis Towers Watson PLC     1,585,363  
   

 

 

 
      300,763,204  

 

 

 
Health Care – 14.6%      
  96,652     Abbott Laboratories     4,923,453  
  120,563     AbbVie, Inc.     9,078,394  
  49,957     Aetna, Inc.     7,878,219  
  59,117     Agilent Technologies, Inc.     3,826,052  
  12,958     Allergan PLC     2,973,602  
  67,665     Amgen, Inc.     12,028,807  
  56,559     Anthem, Inc.     11,087,826  
  74,236     Baxter International, Inc.     4,605,602  
  19,896     Becton Dickinson and Co.     3,968,058  
  27,374     Biogen, Inc.*     8,665,513  
  100,631     Boston Scientific Corp.*     2,772,384  
  139,967     Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.     8,465,204  
  6,496     Cardinal Health, Inc.     438,220  
  51,515     Celgene Corp.*     7,156,979  
  59,464     Centene Corp.*     5,283,376  
  39,987     Cerner Corp.*     2,710,319  
  33,604     Cigna Corp.     6,117,944  
  11,958     Cooper Cos., Inc. (The)     2,999,425  
  20,169     CR Bard, Inc.     6,470,417  
  41,039     Danaher Corp.     3,423,473  
  53,587     DaVita, Inc.*     3,138,055  
  28,630     DENTSPLY SIRONA, Inc.     1,619,599  
  46,719     Edwards Lifesciences Corp.*     5,310,082  
  99,941     Eli Lilly & Co.     8,124,204  
  102,641     Express Scripts Holding Co.*     6,447,908  
  197,297     Gilead Sciences, Inc.     16,515,732  
  14,321     HCA Healthcare, Inc.*     1,126,490  
  34,226     Henry Schein, Inc.*     5,944,372  
  19,360     Hologic, Inc.*     747,296  

 

 

 

 

72   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Health Care – (continued)      
  24,528     Humana, Inc.   $ 6,318,903  
  42,919     IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.*     6,670,900  
  16,250     Illumina, Inc.*     3,322,475  
  12,446     Incyte Corp.*     1,710,205  
  4,887     Intuitive Surgical, Inc.*     4,909,822  
  262,397     Johnson & Johnson     34,733,491  
  13,321     Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings*     2,089,665  
  12,414     McKesson Corp.     1,853,534  
  56,465     Medtronic PLC     4,552,208  
  217,360     Merck & Co., Inc.     13,880,610  
  17,775     Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.*     10,755,475  
  252,320     Mylan NV*     7,943,034  
  66,993     Perrigo Co. PLC     5,289,767  
  581,065     Pfizer, Inc.     19,709,725  
  37,737     Quest Diagnostics, Inc.     4,088,804  
  29,067     Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.*     2,791,304  
  38,366     ResMed, Inc.     2,976,434  
  39,474     Stryker Corp.     5,580,439  
  5,360     Teleflex, Inc.     1,134,980  
  42,068     Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.     7,872,606  
  107,026     UnitedHealth Group, Inc.     21,287,471  
  37,085     Varian Medical Systems, Inc.*     3,940,281  
  22,726     Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     3,648,432  
  15,883     Waters Corp.*     2,914,213  
  4,969     Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.     567,808  
  94,561     Zoetis, Inc.     5,928,975  
   

 

 

 
      350,318,566  

 

 

 
Industrials – 9.9%      
  68,296     3M Co.     13,954,239  
  12,990     Acuity Brands, Inc.     2,296,502  
  21,668     Alaska Air Group, Inc.     1,617,733  
  14,343     American Airlines Group, Inc.     641,706  
  17,495     AMETEK, Inc.     1,106,559  
  22,898     Arconic, Inc.     583,212  
  49,838     Boeing Co. (The)     11,944,175  
  46,615     Caterpillar, Inc.     5,476,796  
  92,072     CH Robinson Worldwide, Inc.     6,503,045  
  27,877     Cintas Corp.     3,763,674  
  56,068     CSX Corp.     2,814,614  
  13,734     Cummins, Inc.     2,188,925  
  17,816     Deere & Co.     2,065,409  
  111,798     Delta Air Lines, Inc.     5,275,748  
  22,591     Dover Corp.     1,917,524  
  43,007     Eaton Corp. PLC     3,086,182  
  82,139     Emerson Electric Co.     4,849,486  
  13,102     Equifax, Inc.     1,866,642  
  33,248     Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.     1,865,213  
  126,249     Fastenal Co.     5,387,045  
  16,860     FedEx Corp.     3,614,447  
  34,060     Fortive Corp.     2,212,878  
  27,994     Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc.     1,750,465  
  22,050     General Dynamics Corp.     4,439,767  
  500,805     General Electric Co.     12,294,763  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  47,455     Honeywell International, Inc.   6,561,603  
  9,351     Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.     2,000,740  
  45,443     IHS Markit Ltd.*     2,128,550  
  39,274     Illinois Tool Works, Inc.     5,400,568  
  51,639     Ingersoll-Rand PLC     4,409,454  
  13,830     JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc.     1,367,649  
  40,293     Johnson Controls International PLC     1,595,200  
  58,043     L3 Technologies, Inc.     10,533,644  
  14,135     Lockheed Martin Corp.     4,316,688  
  56,927     Masco Corp.     2,093,206  
  39,894     Nielsen Holdings PLC     1,549,882  
  20,158     Norfolk Southern Corp.     2,429,442  
  22,235     Northrop Grumman Corp.     6,052,589  
  11,001     PACCAR, Inc.     729,696  
  22,769     Parker-Hannifin Corp.     3,663,304  
  36,944     Raytheon Co.     6,724,177  
  101,137     Republic Services, Inc.     6,598,178  
  23,491     Rockwell Automation, Inc.     3,853,933  
  17,042     Rockwell Collins, Inc.     2,233,354  
  16,202     Roper Technologies, Inc.     3,737,153  
  23,569     Snap-on, Inc.     3,478,077  
  73,963     Southwest Airlines Co.     3,856,431  
  27,092     Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.     3,901,248  
  162,154     Textron, Inc.     7,960,140  
  48,410     Union Pacific Corp.     5,097,573  
  118,826     United Continental Holdings, Inc.*     7,362,459  
  32,794     United Parcel Service, Inc., Class B     3,750,322  
  11,770     United Rentals, Inc.*     1,389,566  
  44,696     United Technologies Corp.     5,351,005  
  23,013     Verisk Analytics, Inc.*     1,865,204  
  82,507     Waste Management, Inc.     6,362,115  
  25,061     WW Grainger, Inc.     4,074,167  
  31,856     Xylem, Inc./NY     1,977,302  
   

 

 

 
      237,921,368  

 

 

 
Information Technology – 23.6%      
  94,933     Accenture PLC, Class A     12,413,439  
  71,210     Activision Blizzard, Inc.     4,668,528  
  52,292     Adobe Systems, Inc.*     8,113,627  
  230,850     Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.*     3,001,050  
  31,465     Akamai Technologies, Inc.*     1,483,575  
  9,105     Alliance Data Systems Corp.     2,053,177  
  26,582     Alphabet, Inc., Class A*     25,392,190  
  26,787     Alphabet, Inc., Class C*     25,161,833  
  89,019     Amdocs Ltd.     5,767,541  
  62,014     Amphenol Corp., Class A     5,019,413  
  56,090     Analog Devices, Inc.     4,693,050  
  27,416     ANSYS, Inc.*     3,531,729  
  493,299     Apple, Inc.     80,901,036  
  115,387     Applied Materials, Inc.     5,206,261  
  36,732     Autodesk, Inc.*     4,204,345  
  35,008     Automatic Data Processing, Inc.     3,727,302  
  82,052     CA, Inc.     2,722,485  
  119,105     Cadence Design Systems, Inc.*     4,679,635  
  50,170     CDK Global, Inc.     3,235,965  
  49,410     CDW Corp.     3,133,582  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   73


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Information Technology – (continued)      
  373,168     Cisco Systems, Inc.   $ 12,019,741  
  62,321     Citrix Systems, Inc.*     4,874,125  
  51,314     Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Class A     3,631,492  
  132,660     Corning, Inc.     3,815,302  
  12,963     DXC Technology Co.     1,101,855  
  231,774     eBay, Inc.*     8,373,995  
  78,243     Electronic Arts, Inc.*     9,506,525  
  27,777     F5 Networks, Inc.*     3,316,018  
  202,675     Facebook, Inc., Class A*     34,854,020  
  55,224     Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.     5,131,414  
  44,901     Fiserv, Inc.*     5,554,703  
  3,297     FleetCor Technologies, Inc.*     474,010  
  21,175     Gartner, Inc.*     2,553,493  
  5,957     Global Payments, Inc.     568,834  
  35,206     Harris Corp.     4,326,817  
  73,245     Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.     1,322,805  
  283,867     HP, Inc.     5,416,182  
  504,505     Intel Corp.     17,692,990  
  95,355     International Business Machines Corp.     13,638,626  
  72,687     Intuit, Inc.     10,281,576  
  118,914     Juniper Networks, Inc.     3,297,485  
  34,004     KLA-Tencor Corp.     3,185,835  
  35,601     Lam Research Corp.     5,909,054  
  72,732     Mastercard, Inc., Class A     9,695,176  
  30,555     Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.     1,425,696  
  33,272     Microchip Technology, Inc.     2,888,010  
  109,840     Micron Technology, Inc.*     3,511,585  
  741,357     Microsoft Corp.     55,431,263  
  33,950     Motorola Solutions, Inc.     2,991,674  
  106,199     NetApp, Inc.     4,105,653  
  60,034     NVIDIA Corp.     10,172,161  
  261,045     Oracle Corp.     13,138,395  
  12,706     Palo Alto Networks, Inc.*     1,685,959  
  66,761     Paychex, Inc.     3,807,380  
  70,194     PayPal Holdings, Inc.*     4,329,566  
  15,292     Qorvo, Inc.*     1,119,680  
  77,201     QUALCOMM, Inc.     4,035,296  
  37,620     Red Hat, Inc.*     4,044,150  
  48,270     salesforce.com, Inc.*     4,609,302  
  90,776     Seagate Technology PLC     2,862,167  
  18,631     ServiceNow, Inc.*     2,164,736  
  50,823     Skyworks Solutions, Inc.     5,354,711  
  135,309     Symantec Corp.     4,056,564  
  66,399     Synopsys, Inc.*     5,339,808  
  37,360     TE Connectivity Ltd.     2,973,856  
  149,030     Texas Instruments, Inc.     12,342,665  
  52,422     Total System Services, Inc.     3,623,409  
  34,353     Vantiv, Inc., Class A*     2,428,414  
  31,104     VeriSign, Inc.*     3,227,040  
  93,778     Visa, Inc., Class A     9,707,899  
  104,009     Western Digital Corp.     9,180,874  
  172,857     Western Union Co. (The)     3,270,454  
  20,291     Xilinx, Inc.     1,340,423  
   

 

 

 
      564,820,626  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Materials – 2.5%      
  11,070     Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.   1,609,246  
  15,208     Ball Corp.     608,168  
  14,115     Celanese Corp., Series A     1,369,437  
  81,043     Dow Chemical Co. (The)     5,401,516  
  68,645     Eastman Chemical Co.     5,917,199  
  18,154     Ecolab, Inc.     2,419,928  
  54,602     EI du Pont de Nemours & Co.     4,582,746  
  9,486     FMC Corp.     817,883  
  231,218     Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.*     3,417,402  
  16,879     International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.     2,309,891  
  49,588     International Paper Co.     2,671,305  
  9,694     LyondellBasell Industries NV, Class A     878,179  
  34,623     Monsanto Co.     4,057,816  
  104,389     Newmont Mining Corp.     4,002,274  
  21,399     Packaging Corp. of America     2,405,462  
  19,494     PPG Industries, Inc.     2,033,614  
  15,540     Praxair, Inc.     2,044,132  
  36,090     Sealed Air Corp.     1,601,674  
  26,512     Sherwin-Williams Co. (The)     8,994,726  
  68,082     WestRock Co.     3,874,547  
   

 

 

 
      61,017,145  

 

 

 
Real Estate – 2.5%      
  16,646     Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. REIT     2,019,326  
  35,186     American Tower Corp. REIT     5,209,287  
  10,966     AvalonBay Communities, Inc. REIT     2,058,647  
  12,310     Boston Properties, Inc. REIT     1,484,586  
  103,918     CBRE Group, Inc., Class A*     3,749,362  
  21,743     Crown Castle International Corp. REIT     2,357,811  
  36,210     Digital Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     4,285,091  
  102,311     Duke Realty Corp. REIT     3,040,683  
  5,643     Equinix, Inc. REIT     2,643,238  
  23,606     Equity Residential REIT     1,585,143  
  8,981     Essex Property Trust, Inc. REIT     2,388,677  
  8,587     Federal Realty Investment Trust REIT     1,089,948  
  211,593     Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. REIT     3,834,065  
  55,253     Kimco Realty Corp. REIT     1,084,064  
  11,859     Macerich Co. (The) REIT     625,800  
  62,798     Prologis, Inc. REIT     3,978,881  
  5,774     Public Storage REIT     1,185,633  
  13,447     Realty Income Corp. REIT     774,009  
  7,580     Regency Centers Corp. REIT     487,546  
  10,426     SBA Communications Corp. REIT*     1,600,912  
  11,040     Simon Property Group, Inc. REIT     1,731,624  
  10,964     SL Green Realty Corp. REIT     1,056,710  
  31,377     UDR, Inc. REIT     1,218,055  
  30,882     Ventas, Inc. REIT     2,113,564  
  275,732     VEREIT, Inc. REIT     2,327,178  
  13,850     Vornado Realty Trust REIT     1,031,687  
  41,567     Welltower, Inc. REIT     3,043,536  
  22,817     Weyerhaeuser Co. REIT     744,062  
   

 

 

 
      58,749,125  

 

 

 

 

74   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description  

Value

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Telecommunication Services – 1.9%      
  523,531     AT&T, Inc.   $ 19,611,471  
  95,995     CenturyLink, Inc.(a)     1,893,021  
  29,548     Level 3 Communications, Inc.*     1,608,298  
  60,453     T-Mobile US, Inc.*     3,911,914  
  365,221     Verizon Communications, Inc.     17,519,651  
   

 

 

 
      44,544,355  

 

 

 
Utilities – 4.3%      
  949,185     AES Corp.     10,479,002  
  36,022     Alliant Energy Corp.     1,539,580  
  59,243     Ameren Corp.     3,553,988  
  54,737     American Electric Power Co., Inc.     4,030,285  
  19,402     American Water Works Co., Inc.     1,569,622  
  102,191     CenterPoint Energy, Inc.     3,026,897  
  60,341     CMS Energy Corp.     2,928,952  
  48,866     Consolidated Edison, Inc.     4,117,938  
  46,453     Dominion Energy, Inc.     3,659,103  
  36,146     DTE Energy Co.     4,059,919  
  54,396     Duke Energy Corp.     4,748,771  
  51,049     Edison International     4,093,109  
  50,707     Entergy Corp.     4,014,473  
  51,139     Eversource Energy     3,221,757  
  95,479     Exelon Corp.     3,615,790  
  136,485     FirstEnergy Corp.     4,446,681  
  52,404     NextEra Energy, Inc.     7,887,326  
  58,265     PG&E Corp.     4,100,691  
  32,310     Pinnacle West Capital Corp.     2,906,931  
  61,819     PPL Corp.     2,425,778  
  46,671     Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.     2,186,070  
  35,719     SCANA Corp.     2,156,713  
  19,730     Sempra Energy     2,326,759  
  84,795     Southern Co. (The)     4,092,207  
  55,984     WEC Energy Group, Inc.     3,651,276  
  58,411     Westar Energy, Inc.     2,997,068  
  90,792     Xcel Energy, Inc.     4,494,204  
   

 

 

 
      102,330,890  

 

 

 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITIES LENDING
REINVESTMENT VEHICLE
 
 
  (Cost $2,148,085,760)   $ 2,383,813,570  

 

 

 
Shares     Distribution
rate
  Value  
Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle – 0.1%(b)  
 

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund –
Institutional Shares

 
 
  3,705,216     0.93%   $ 3,705,216  
  (Cost $3,705,216)  

 

 

 
  TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 99.6%  
  (Cost $2,151,790,976)   $ 2,387,518,786  

 

 

 
 
OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF
    LIABILITIES – 0.4%
    8,971,566  

 

 

 
  NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 2,396,490,352  

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Security is currently in default and/or non-income producing.

(a)

  All or a portion of security is on loan.

(b)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

REIT

 

—Real Estate Investment Trust

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   75


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – 99.5%  
Consumer Discretionary – 12.2%      
  580     1-800-Flowers.com, Inc., Class A*   $ 5,220  
  514     Aaron’s, Inc.     22,755  
  508     Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Class A     6,472  
  248     Acushnet Holdings Corp.     4,077  
  460     Adtalem Global Education, Inc.     15,732  
  102     AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Class A     1,367  
  400     American Axle & Manufacturing
Holdings, Inc.*
    5,844  
  828     American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.     9,895  
  356     American Outdoor Brands Corp.*     5,810  
  418     American Public Education, Inc.*     7,712  
  134     America’s Car-Mart, Inc.*     5,146  
  60     Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.*     3,231  
  3,392     Ascena Retail Group, Inc.*     6,920  
  344     Ascent Capital Group, Inc., Class A*     3,416  
  272     AV Homes, Inc.*     4,202  
  242     Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.*     1,254  
  362     Barnes & Noble, Inc.     2,805  
  224     Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc.     8,030  
  448     Beazer Homes USA, Inc.*     6,680  
  188     Belmond Ltd., Class A (United Kingdom)*     2,397  
  406     Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.     3,106  
  290     Big Lots, Inc.     13,804  
  18     Biglari Holdings, Inc.*     5,360  
  60     BJ’s Restaurants, Inc.*     1,806  
  212     Bloomin’ Brands, Inc.     3,606  
  90     Bob Evans Farms, Inc.     6,190  
  266     Bojangles’, Inc.*(a)     3,551  
  356     Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.*(a)     2,884  
  436     Boyd Gaming Corp.     11,528  
  580     Bridgepoint Education, Inc.*     5,121  
  284     Brinker International, Inc.     8,866  
  230     Buckle, Inc. (The)(a)     3,254  
  84     Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.*     8,631  
  230     Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.*     2,116  
  134     Caesars Acquisition Co., Class A*     2,499  
  454     Caesars Entertainment Corp.*     5,266  
  296     Caleres, Inc.     7,986  
  418     Callaway Golf Co.     5,827  
  176     Capella Education Co.     11,854  
  1,258     Career Education Corp.*     12,089  
  230     Carriage Services, Inc.     5,633  
  188     Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc.*     2,049  
  254     Carvana Co.*(a)     4,534  
  30     Cavco Industries, Inc.*     4,037  
  834     Central European Media Enterprises Ltd., Class A (Bermuda)*     3,461  
  666     Century Casinos, Inc.*     4,562  
  236     Century Communities, Inc.*     5,322  
  254     Cheesecake Factory, Inc. (The)     10,523  
  834     Chegg, Inc.*     11,834  
  888     Chico’s FAS, Inc.     6,820  
  114     Children’s Place, Inc. (The)     12,101  
  72     Churchill Downs, Inc.     14,069  
  102     Chuy’s Holdings, Inc.*     1,918  
  200     Citi Trends, Inc.     3,626  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Discretionary – (continued)      
  380     Clarus Corp.*   2,755  
  242     Collectors Universe, Inc.     5,815  
  152     Columbia Sportswear Co.     8,708  
  176     Conn’s, Inc.*     3,054  
  424     Container Store Group, Inc. (The)*     1,721  
  248     Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.     8,333  
  120     Cooper-Standard Holdings, Inc.*     12,070  
  90     Core-Mark Holding Co, Inc.     2,435  
  36     Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.(a)     5,352  
  828     Crocs, Inc.*     7,394  
  90     CSS Industries, Inc.     2,410  
  72     Culp, Inc.     2,088  
  12     Daily Journal Corp.*     2,519  
  586     Dana, Inc.     14,105  
  120     Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc.*     7,015  
  188     Deckers Outdoor Corp.*     12,013  
  272     Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, Inc.*     3,808  
  424     Del Taco Restaurants, Inc.*     5,970  
  598     Denny’s Corp.*     7,152  
  54     Dillard’s, Inc., Class A(a)     3,283  
  60     DineEquity, Inc.     2,385  
  218     Dorman Products, Inc.*     14,480  
  834     Drive Shack, Inc.     2,252  
  224     DSW, Inc., Class A     4,151  
  218     Duluth Holdings, Inc., Class B*(a)     4,271  
  344     El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.*     3,904  
  182     Eldorado Resorts, Inc.*(a)     4,186  
  230     Emerald Expositions Events, Inc.(a)     5,000  
  188     Entercom Communications Corp., Class A(a)     1,936  
  386     Entravision Communications Corp., Class A     2,142  
  230     Eros International PLC (India)*(a)     2,243  
  242     Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc.     7,079  
  260     EW Scripps Co. (The), Class A*     4,649  
  362     Express, Inc.*     2,306  
  224     Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.*     3,898  
  362     Finish Line, Inc. (The), Class A     3,015  
  176     Five Below, Inc.*     8,372  
  66     Flexsteel Industries, Inc.     3,003  
  302     Fogo De Chao, Inc.*     3,820  
  950     Fossil Group, Inc.*(a)     7,876  
  284     Fox Factory Holding Corp.*     11,360  
  430     Francesca’s Holdings Corp.*     3,122  
  236     Fred’s, Inc., Class A(a)     1,397  
  128     FTD Cos, Inc.*     1,714  
  224     Gaia, Inc.*     2,498  
  756     Gannett Co, Inc.     6,418  
  158     Genesco, Inc.*     3,342  
  158     Gentherm, Inc.*     4,922  
  140     G-III Apparel Group Ltd.*     3,850  
  672     GoPro, Inc., Class A*(a)     6,189  
  266     Grand Canyon Education, Inc.*     21,825  
  230     Gray Television, Inc.*     3,289  
  266     Green Brick Partners, Inc.*     2,514  
  78     Group 1 Automotive, Inc.     4,682  
  1,482     Groupon, Inc.*     6,580  
  152     Habit Restaurants, Inc. (The), Class A*(a)     1,976  

 

 

 

 

76   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Discretionary – (continued)      
  266     Haverty Furniture Cos, Inc.   $ 6,238  
  84     Helen of Troy Ltd.*     7,585  
  230     Hemisphere Media Group, Inc.*     2,979  
  236     Hibbett Sports, Inc.*     2,903  
  78     Hooker Furniture Corp.     3,140  
  170     Horizon Global Corp.*(a)     2,924  
  338     Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co.*     3,448  
  1,052     Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., Class A*     1,915  
  212     HSN, Inc.     7,780  
  248     Iconix Brand Group, Inc.*     1,386  
  412     ILG, Inc.     10,877  
  102     Installed Building Products, Inc.*     5,885  
  200     International Speedway Corp., Class A     7,130  
  170     iRobot Corp.*     16,221  
  418     J Alexander’s Holdings, Inc.*     4,138  
  200     J. Jill, Inc.*     1,942  
  152     Jack in the Box, Inc.     14,230  
  108     Johnson Outdoors, Inc., Class A     6,890  
  672     K12, Inc.*     12,042  
  352     KB Home     7,533  
  478     Kirkland’s, Inc.*     5,511  
  332     La Quinta Holdings, Inc.*     5,246  
  140     Laureate Education, Inc., Class A*     2,050  
  386     La-Z-Boy, Inc.     9,206  
  152     LCI Industries     15,018  
  302     Libbey, Inc.     2,467  
  134     Liberty Media Corp. – Liberty Braves, Class A*     3,271  
  200     Liberty Media Corp. – Liberty Braves, Class C*     4,894  
  218     Liberty Tax, Inc.     2,932  
  278     Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., Class A*     3,711  
  290     Lifetime Brands, Inc.     5,046  
  254     Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc.*     2,824  
  72     Lithia Motors, Inc., Class A     7,776  
  60     Loral Space & Communications, Inc.*     2,724  
  200     Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.*     7,506  
  182     M/I Homes, Inc.*     4,477  
  158     Malibu Boats, Inc., Class A*     4,261  
  158     Marcus Corp. (The)     3,934  
  200     Marine Products Corp.     3,116  
  134     MarineMax, Inc.*     2,164  
  90     Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp.     10,472  
  424     MCBC Holdings, Inc.*     7,267  
  296     MDC Holdings, Inc.     9,250  
  212     Meredith Corp.     11,522  
  60     Meritage Homes Corp.*     2,442  
  108     Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc.*     3,842  
  72     Monro, Inc.     3,434  
  102     Movado Group, Inc.     2,831  
  526     MSG Networks, Inc., Class A*     11,283  
  66     NACCO Industries, Inc., Class A     4,785  
  90     Nathan’s Famous, Inc.*     5,270  
  622     National CineMedia, Inc.     3,365  
  290     Nautilus, Inc.*     4,742  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Discretionary – (continued)      
  230     New Home Co., Inc. (The)*   2,374  
  586     New Media Investment Group, Inc.     8,081  
  846     New York Times Co. (The), Class A     15,778  
  134     Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Class A     8,067  
  230     Nutrisystem, Inc.     12,489  
  2,340     Office Depot, Inc.     10,039  
  182     Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc.*     7,617  
  146     Overstock.com, Inc.*     3,205  
  152     Oxford Industries, Inc.     8,787  
  242     Papa John’s International, Inc.     18,099  
  158     Party City Holdco, Inc.*     2,204  
  550     Penn National Gaming, Inc.*     12,205  
  134     Perry Ellis International, Inc.*     2,925  
  188     PetMed Express, Inc.     6,819  
  296     PICO Holdings, Inc.*     4,810  
  888     Pier 1 Imports, Inc.     3,721  
  502     Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.*     9,789  
  266     Planet Fitness, Inc., Class A     6,748  
  726     Potbelly Corp.*     8,712  
  188     RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc.     4,380  
  230     Reading International, Inc., Class A*     3,625  
  36     Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.*     2,052  
  272     Red Rock Resorts, Inc., Class A     6,147  
  604     Regis Corp.*     8,021  
  646     Rent-A-Center, Inc.     7,817  
  146     RH*(a)     6,831  
  374     Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.     7,312  
  48     Saga Communications, Inc., Class A     1,961  
  368     Salem Media Group, Inc.     2,226  
  320     Scholastic Corp.     12,618  
  296     Scientific Games Corp., Class A*     10,419  
  272     SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.(a)     3,531  
  260     Select Comfort Corp.*     7,678  
  646     Sequential Brands Group, Inc.*(a)     1,970  
  60     Shake Shack, Inc., Class A*(a)     1,855  
  278     Shiloh Industries, Inc.*     2,435  
  254     Shoe Carnival, Inc.     5,105  
  212     Shutterfly, Inc.*     9,663  
  326     Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Class A     9,862  
  102     Sonic Corp.     2,388  
  212     Sotheby’s*     9,512  
  314     Speedway Motorsports, Inc.     6,534  
  454     Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc.*(a)     1,884  
  236     Standard Motor Products, Inc.     10,408  
  308     Steven Madden Ltd.*     13,059  
  654     Stoneridge, Inc.*     10,830  
  140     Strayer Education, Inc.     11,201  
  158     Sturm Ruger & Co., Inc.     7,236  
  128     Superior Industries International, Inc.     1,875  
  442     Tailored Brands, Inc.     5,224  
  406     Taylor Morrison Home Corp., Class A*     8,209  
  188     Tenneco, Inc.     10,190  
  182     Texas Roadhouse, Inc.     8,636  
  212     Tile Shop Holdings, Inc.     3,191  
  472     Tilly’s, Inc., Class A     5,197  
  690     Time, Inc.     9,074  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   77


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Discretionary – (continued)      
  176     TopBuild Corp.*   $ 10,446  
  114     Tower International, Inc.     2,559  
  260     Townsquare Media, Inc., Class A*     2,595  
  496     TRI Pointe Group, Inc.*     6,319  
  188     tronc, Inc.*     2,728  
  84     Unifi, Inc.*     2,611  
  36     Universal Electronics, Inc.*     2,108  
  634     Vera Bradley, Inc.*     5,731  
  152     Vista Outdoor, Inc.*     3,116  
  224     Vitamin Shoppe, Inc.*     1,198  
  350     VOXX International Corp.*     2,835  
  218     Weight Watchers International, Inc.*(a)     10,205  
  284     West Marine, Inc.     3,683  
  108     Weyco Group, Inc.     2,975  
  182     William Lyon Homes, Class A*     4,366  
  308     Wingstop, Inc.     9,982  
  66     Winmark Corp.     8,702  
  108     Winnebago Industries, Inc.     3,904  
  448     Wolverine World Wide, Inc.     11,782  
  400     World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., Class A     8,720  
  574     ZAGG, Inc.*     7,232  
  400     Zumiez, Inc.*     4,980  
   

 

 

 
      1,456,671  

 

 

 
Consumer Staples – 2.8%      
  78     Alico, Inc.     2,496  
  66     Andersons, Inc. (The)     2,102  
  90     B&G Foods, Inc.(a)     2,745  
  108     Boston Beer Co, Inc. (The), Class A*(a)     16,092  
  36     Calavo Growers, Inc.     2,417  
  66     Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.*     2,406  
  2,744     Castle Brands, Inc.*     3,897  
  152     Central Garden & Pet Co.*     5,358  
  164     Central Garden & Pet Co., Class A*     5,591  
  212     Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (The)*     3,657  
  54     Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated     11,534  
  708     Darling Ingredients, Inc.*     12,319  
  1,064     Dean Foods Co.     11,704  
  90     elf Beauty, Inc.*(a)     1,862  
  164     Farmer Brothers Co.*     5,338  
  206     Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc.     9,680  
  254     Freshpet, Inc.*     4,026  
  708     Hostess Brands, Inc.*     9,445  
  732     HRG Group, Inc.*     11,558  
  200     Ingles Markets, Inc., Class A     4,390  
  66     Inter Parfums, Inc.     2,604  
  78     J&J Snack Foods Corp.     9,944  
  42     John B Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.     2,607  
  72     Lancaster Colony Corp.     8,386  
  296     Landec Corp.*     3,848  
  108     Limoneira Co.     2,419  
  254     Medifast, Inc.     14,382  
  54     MGP Ingredients, Inc.(a)     3,036  
  158     National Beverage Corp.     18,361  
  236     Natural Health Trends Corp.     4,762  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Consumer Staples – (continued)      
  290     Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc.   3,060  
  60     Oil-Dri Corp. of America     2,442  
  368     Omega Protein Corp.     5,814  
  380     Performance Food Group Co.*     10,564  
  36     PriceSmart, Inc.     2,925  
  108     Sanderson Farms, Inc.     15,932  
  78     Seneca Foods Corp., Class A*     2,324  
  502     Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.     17,831  
  188     SpartanNash Co.     4,632  
  172     SUPERVALU, Inc.*     3,438  
  78     Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.(a)     2,913  
  158     Turning Point Brands, Inc.*     2,718  
  266     United Natural Foods, Inc.*     9,244  
  188     Universal Corp.     10,754  
  120     USANA Health Sciences, Inc.*     7,104  
  460     Vector Group Ltd.     9,936  
  248     Village Super Market, Inc., Class A     5,736  
  66     WD-40 Co.(a)     7,191  
  102     Weis Markets, Inc.     4,509  
   

 

 

 
      328,033  

 

 

 
Energy – 2.3%      
  1,342     Abraxas Petroleum Corp.*     2,281  
  66     Adams Resources & Energy, Inc.     2,288  
  72     Arch Coal, Inc., Class A     5,751  
  726     Archrock, Inc.     7,405  
  490     Atwood Oceanics, Inc.*(a)     3,219  
  102     Basic Energy Services, Inc.*(a)     1,453  
  932     Bill Barrett Corp.*     2,787  
  78     Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.*     2,027  
  260     California Resources Corp.*(a)     2,028  
  968     Clean Energy Fuels Corp.*     2,304  
  1,712     Cloud Peak Energy, Inc.*     5,376  
  362     Contango Oil & Gas Co.*     1,662  
  152     CVR Energy, Inc.(a)     3,256  
  686     Delek US Holdings, Inc.     16,958  
  1,686     Denbury Resources, Inc.*     1,787  
  628     DHT Holdings, Inc.     2,355  
  218     Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.*     2,476  
  478     Dorian LPG Ltd.*     3,279  
  224     Dril-Quip, Inc.*     8,411  
  912     Eclipse Resources Corp.*     2,125  
  1,082     Ensco PLC, Class A(a)     4,599  
  696     EP Energy Corp., Class A*     2,046  
  356     Era Group, Inc.*     3,136  
  804     Evolution Petroleum Corp.     5,588  
  544     Exterran Corp.*     15,091  
  230     Golar LNG Ltd. (Bermuda)     4,986  
  302     Green Plains, Inc.     5,602  
  478     Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc.     5,354  
  508     Hallador Energy Co.     2,946  
  484     Lilis Energy, Inc.*(a)     1,771  
  146     Mammoth Energy Services, Inc.*(a)     2,012  
  114     Matador Resources Co.*     2,688  
  478     Matrix Service Co.*     5,664  
  1,022     McDermott International, Inc.*     6,275  

 

 

 

 

78   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Energy – (continued)      
  108     Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.*   $ 2,549  
  2,612     Navios Maritime Acquisition Corp.     3,291  
  660     Newpark Resources, Inc.*     5,313  
  1,288     Noble Corp. PLC*     4,199  
  17     Nordic American Offshore Ltd. (Norway)     21  
  418     Nordic American Tankers Ltd.(a)     1,981  
  302     Oasis Petroleum, Inc.*     2,205  
  248     Oil States International, Inc.*     5,394  
  1,432     Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc., Class A*     3,236  
  702     Pacific Ethanol, Inc.*     3,510  
  102     Panhandle Oil and Gas, Inc., Class A     2,152  
  140     Par Pacific Holdings, Inc.*(a)     2,493  
  102     PDC Energy, Inc.*     4,012  
  170     Peabody Energy Corp.*     4,930  
  394     Renewable Energy Group, Inc.*     4,767  
  224     Resolute Energy Corp.*(a)     6,619  
  134     REX American Resources Corp.*     11,607  
  418     RigNet, Inc.*     6,688  
  206     Ring Energy, Inc.*     2,456  
  502     Rowan Cos PLC, Class A*     4,895  
  72     SEACOR Holdings, Inc.*     2,763  
  96     SemGroup Corp., Class A     2,467  
  188     Ship Finance International Ltd. (Norway)     2,453  
  592     Smart Sand, Inc.*(a)     3,534  
  2,176     Teekay Tankers Ltd., Class A (Bermuda)     3,068  
  308     Tellurian, Inc.*     2,846  
  786     TETRA Technologies, Inc.*     1,619  
  230     Ultra Petroleum Corp.*     1,792  
  266     Unit Corp.*     4,235  
  1,808     Uranium Energy Corp.*     2,387  
  218     US Silica Holdings, Inc.     5,932  
  1,178     W&T Offshore, Inc.*     2,250  
  586     Westmoreland Coal Co.*     1,365  
  188     WildHorse Resource Development Corp.*     2,051  
  1,016     Willbros Group, Inc.*     2,235  
   

 

 

 
      270,301  

 

 

 
Financials – 20.6%      
  102     1st Source Corp.     4,760  
  356     Access National Corp.     9,142  
  84     ACNB Corp.     2,197  
  544     AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. REIT     10,483  
  96     Allegiance Bancshares, Inc.*     3,269  
  448     American Equity Investment Life Holding Co.     12,436  
  120     American National Bankshares, Inc.     4,380  
  254     Ameris Bancorp     11,189  
  140     AMERISAFE, Inc.     7,532  
  84     Ames National Corp.     2,276  
  424     AmTrust Financial Services, Inc.     5,258  
  1,318     Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp. REIT     7,987  
  684     Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. REIT     12,374  
  436     Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp. REIT     5,751  
  182     Argo Group International Holdings Ltd.     10,956  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  290     Arlington Asset Investment Corp., Class A(a)   3,747  
  598     ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. REIT     15,793  
  206     Arrow Financial Corp.     6,654  
  356     Artisan Partners Asset Management, Inc.,
Class A
    10,929  
  66     ASB Bancorp, Inc.*     2,927  
  84     Associated Capital Group, Inc., Class A     2,885  
  254     Astoria Financial Corp.     4,976  
  158     Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc.*     2,662  
  400     B. Riley Financial, Inc.     6,560  
  158     Baldwin & Lyons, Inc., Class B     3,460  
  538     Banc of California, Inc.     9,980  
  156     BancFirst Corp.     7,862  
  224     Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA, Class E (Panama)     6,039  
  460     BancorpSouth, Inc.     13,363  
  356     Bank Mutual Corp.     3,257  
  350     Bank of Commerce Holdings     3,692  
  54     Bank of Marin Bancorp     3,534  
  586     Bank of NT Butterfield & Son Ltd. (The) (Bermuda)     19,268  
  266     BankFinancial Corp.     4,267  
  128     Bankwell Financial Group, Inc.     4,339  
  108     Bar Harbor Bankshares     2,836  
  302     BCB Bancorp, Inc.     4,288  
  272     Bear State Financial, Inc.(a)     2,796  
  206     Beneficial Bancorp, Inc.     3,080  
  248     Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.     8,382  
  182     Blue Capital Reinsurance Holdings Ltd. (Bermuda)     3,422  
  236     Blue Hills Bancorp, Inc.     4,413  
  690     BofI Holding, Inc.*(a)     18,292  
  260     Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc.     3,822  
  164     Bridge Bancorp, Inc.     5,068  
  292     Brookline Bancorp, Inc.     4,190  
  164     Bryn Mawr Bank Corp.     6,716  
  134     BSB Bancorp, Inc.*     3,819  
  60     C&F Financial Corp.     2,811  
  140     Cadence BanCorp*     2,918  
  248     Camden National Corp.     9,672  
  140     Capital Bank Financial Corp., Class A     5,264  
  242     Capital City Bank Group, Inc.     5,007  
  344     Capitol Federal Financial, Inc.     4,720  
  170     Capstar Financial Holdings, Inc.*     2,948  
  762     Capstead Mortgage Corp. REIT     7,369  
  152     Carolina Financial Corp.     5,173  
  448     Cathay General Bancorp     15,801  
  394     CenterState Banks, Inc.     9,641  
  164     Central Pacific Financial Corp.     4,756  
  170     Central Valley Community Bancorp     3,344  
  60     Century Bancorp, Inc., Class A     4,008  
  326     Charter Financial Corp.     5,301  
  230     Chemical Financial Corp.     10,444  
  72     Chemung Financial Corp.     2,908  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   79


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  374     Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corp. REIT   $ 6,912  
  140     Citizens & Northern Corp.     3,142  
  176     City Holding Co.     11,146  
  314     Civista Bancshares, Inc.     6,346  
  266     Clifton Bancorp, Inc.     4,189  
  146     CNB Financial Corp.     3,527  
  722     CNO Financial Group, Inc.     16,137  
  140     Codorus Valley Bancorp, Inc.     3,507  
  236     Cohen & Steers, Inc.     8,930  
  290     Columbia Banking System, Inc.     10,779  
  128     Commerce Union Bancshares, Inc.(a)     3,071  
  170     Community Bank System, Inc.     8,748  
  684     Community Bankers Trust Corp.*     5,746  
  78     Community Financial Corp. (The)     2,730  
  146     Community Trust Bancorp, Inc.     6,212  
  200     ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.     4,560  
  108     County Bancorp, Inc.     3,238  
  380     Crawford & Co., Class B(a)     3,770  
  146     CU Bancorp*     5,205  
  460     Customers Bancorp, Inc.*     12,963  
  460     CVB Financial Corp.     9,522  
  726     CYS Investments, Inc. REIT     6,382  
  42     Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc.     8,246  
  176     Dime Community Bancshares, Inc.     3,335  
  84     DNB Financial Corp.     2,734  
  224     Donegal Group, Inc., Class A     3,434  
  460     Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.*     9,849  
  1,458     Dynex Capital, Inc. REIT     10,425  
  158     Eagle Bancorp, Inc.*     9,828  
  128     eHealth, Inc.*     3,108  
  302     Elevate Credit, Inc.*(a)     1,912  
  266     Ellington Residential Mortgage REIT     3,892  
  134     EMC Insurance Group, Inc.     3,736  
  326     Employers Holdings, Inc.     13,741  
  140     Encore Capital Group, Inc.*     5,649  
  362     Enova International, Inc.*     4,308  
  54     Enstar Group Ltd. (Bermuda)*     11,208  
  206     Entegra Financial Corp.*     4,779  
  66     Enterprise Bancorp, Inc.     2,111  
  158     Enterprise Financial Services Corp.     6,036  
  108     Equity Bancshares, Inc., Class A*     3,688  
  206     ESSA Bancorp, Inc.     3,111  
  114     Evans Bancorp, Inc.     4,708  
  320     Evercore, Inc., Class A     24,144  
  66     Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.(a)     4,419  
  102     Farmers Capital Bank Corp.     3,820  
  254     Farmers National Banc Corp.     3,480  
  140     FB Financial Corp.*     4,865  
  54     FBL Financial Group, Inc., Class A     3,672  
  314     FCB Financial Holdings, Inc., Class A*     13,690  
  230     Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp., Class C     15,668  
  200     Fidelity & Guaranty Life     6,250  
  454     Fidelity Southern Corp.     9,924  
  158     Financial Engines, Inc.     5,222  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  248     Financial Institutions, Inc.   6,746  
  170     First Bancorp, Inc.     4,425  
  834     First BanCorp/Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)*     4,737  
  200     First Bancorp/Southern Pines NC     6,188  
  120     First Bancshares, Inc. (The)     3,384  
  341     First Busey Corp.     9,838  
  182     First Business Financial Services, Inc.     3,878  
  36     First Citizens BancShares, Inc., Class A     12,258  
  628     First Commonwealth Financial Corp.     7,919  
  114     First Community Bancshares, Inc.     2,934  
  176     First Connecticut Bancorp, Inc.     4,356  
  96     First Defiance Financial Corp.     4,700  
  496     First Financial Bancorp     11,879  
  302     First Financial Bankshares, Inc.     12,095  
  114     First Financial Corp.     4,948  
  200     First Financial Northwest, Inc.     3,200  
  320     First Foundation, Inc.*     5,424  
  120     First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc.     3,143  
  140     First Internet Bancorp     4,452  
  176     First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.,
Class A
    6,195  
  172     First Merchants Corp.     6,754  
  134     First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, Inc.     4,647  
  260     First Midwest Bancorp, Inc.     5,481  
  260     First Northwest Bancorp*     4,124  
  212     First of Long Island Corp. (The)     5,671  
  102     FirstCash, Inc.     5,987  
  332     Flagstar Bancorp, Inc.*     10,896  
  436     Flushing Financial Corp.     11,920  
  164     FNB Bancorp(a)     4,912  
  206     FNFV Group*     3,471  
  140     Franklin Financial Network, Inc.*     4,578  
  828     Fulton Financial Corp.     14,449  
  424     GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc.     2,671  
  78     GAMCO Investors, Inc., Class A     2,299  
  290     German American Bancorp, Inc.     9,437  
  424     Glacier Bancorp, Inc.     14,081  
  90     Global Indemnity Ltd. (Cayman Islands)*     3,638  
  374     Great Ajax Corp. REIT     5,303  
  158     Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.     7,868  
  180     Great Western Bancorp, Inc.     6,466  
  176     Green Bancorp, Inc.*     3,529  
  224     Green Dot Corp., Class A*     10,792  
  332     Greenhill & Co., Inc.     4,997  
  128     Greenlight Capital Re Ltd., Class A*     2,848  
  144     Guaranty Bancorp     3,715  
  218     Hallmark Financial Services, Inc.*     2,234  
  92     Hamilton Lane, Inc., Class A     2,156  
  400     Hancock Holding Co.     17,580  
  242     Hanmi Financial Corp.     6,461  
  218     Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. REIT     5,058  
  242     HarborOne Bancorp, Inc.*     4,160  
  176     HCI Group, Inc.     6,862  
  242     Health Insurance Innovations, Inc., Class A*(a)     8,143  

 

 

 

 

80   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  242     Heartland Financial USA, Inc.   $ 11,011  
  520     Heritage Commerce Corp.     6,968  
  160     Heritage Financial Corp.     4,184  
  188     Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc.     2,139  
  386     Hilltop Holdings, Inc.     9,137  
  36     Hingham Institution for Savings     6,624  
  108     Home Bancorp, Inc.     4,361  
  640     Home BancShares, Inc.     14,918  
  266     HomeStreet, Inc.*     6,716  
  170     HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc.*     3,944  
  496     Hope Bancorp, Inc.     8,005  
  176     Horace Mann Educators Corp.     6,186  
  176     Horizon Bancorp     4,606  
  182     Houlihan Lokey, Inc.     6,561  
  170     Howard Bancorp, Inc.*     3,357  
  236     IBERIABANK Corp.     18,078  
  338     Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc.*(a)     4,485  
  68     Independent Bank Corp.     4,712  
  308     Independent Bank Corp.     6,283  
  78     Independent Bank Group, Inc.     4,341  
  66     Infinity Property & Casualty Corp.     5,838  
  248     International Bancshares Corp.     8,916  
  176     INTL. FCStone, Inc.*     6,246  
  1,198     Invesco Mortgage Capital, Inc. REIT     20,342  
  176     Investar Holding Corp.     3,872  
  128     Investment Technology Group, Inc.     2,572  
  1,130     Investors Bancorp, Inc.     14,792  
  36     Investors Title Co.     6,331  
  206     James River Group Holdings Ltd.     8,215  
  236     Kearny Financial Corp.     3,339  
  72     Kemper Corp.     3,449  
  290     Kingstone Cos, Inc.     4,364  
  236     KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc.     4,902  
  484     Ladder Capital Corp. REIT     6,640  
  344     Lakeland Bancorp, Inc.     6,364  
  260     Lakeland Financial Corp.     11,300  
  120     LCNB Corp.     2,214  
  308     LegacyTexas Financial Group, Inc.     11,085  
  424     LendingClub Corp.*     2,625  
  60     LendingTree, Inc.*     13,857  
  188     Live Oak Bancshares, Inc.     4,202  
  580     Macatawa Bank Corp.     5,551  
  266     Maiden Holdings Ltd.     1,929  
  182     MainSource Financial Group, Inc.     5,957  
  206     Malvern Bancorp, Inc.*(a)     4,903  
  200     MB Financial, Inc.     7,954  
  278     MBIA, Inc.*     2,797  
  472     MBT Financial Corp.     4,791  
  158     Mercantile Bank Corp.     4,802  
  272     Meridian Bancorp, Inc.     4,787  
  128     Meta Financial Group, Inc.     8,998  
  60     Middlefield Banc Corp.     2,697  
  254     Midland States Bancorp, Inc.     7,757  
  284     MidSouth Bancorp, Inc.     3,365  
  128     MidWestOne Financial Group, Inc.     4,209  
  200     Moelis & Co., Class A     7,880  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  460     MTGE Investment Corp. REIT   8,832  
  72     MutualFirst Financial, Inc.     2,534  
  182     National Bank Holdings Corp., Class A     5,857  
  54     National Bankshares, Inc.     2,128  
  102     National Commerce Corp.*     4,054  
  278     National General Holdings Corp.     4,773  
  24     National Western Life Group, Inc., Class A     8,026  
  102     Navigators Group, Inc. (The)     5,692  
  224     NBT Bancorp, Inc.     7,354  
  146     Nelnet, Inc., Class A     6,925  
  1,094     New York Mortgage Trust, Inc. REIT(a)     6,848  
  236     NewStar Financial, Inc.     2,530  
  146     NI Holdings, Inc.*(a)     2,410  
  102     Nicolet Bankshares, Inc.*     5,574  
  1,330     NMI Holdings, Inc., Class A*     14,430  
  230     Northeast Bancorp     4,968  
  176     Northfield Bancorp, Inc.     2,835  
  140     Northrim BanCorp, Inc.     4,179  
  230     Northwest Bancshares, Inc.     3,549  
  90     Norwood Financial Corp.(a)     3,964  
  230     OceanFirst Financial Corp.     5,741  
  882     Ocwen Financial Corp.*     2,584  
  312     OFG Bancorp (Puerto Rico)     2,714  
  128     Ohio Valley Banc Corp.     4,211  
  170     Old Line Bancshares, Inc.     4,675  
  804     Old National Bancorp     13,145  
  114     Old Point Financial Corp.     3,504  
  332     Old Second Bancorp, Inc.     3,801  
  628     OM Asset Management PLC     8,874  
  176     OneBeacon Insurance Group Ltd., Class A     3,207  
  146     Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc., Class A     2,372  
  478     Orchid Island Capital, Inc. REIT     4,622  
  442     Oritani Financial Corp.     7,094  
  212     Owens Realty Mortgage, Inc. REIT     3,678  
  102     Pacific Continental Corp.     2,422  
  302     Pacific Mercantile Bancorp*     2,567  
  152     Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc.*     5,381  
  78     Paragon Commercial Corp.*     4,044  
  96     Park National Corp.     9,273  
  484     Park Sterling Corp.     5,503  
  182     Parke Bancorp, Inc.     3,540  
  194     PCSB Financial Corp.*     3,282  
  218     Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp.     6,642  
  90     Penns Woods Bancorp, Inc.     3,862  
  502     PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., Class A*     8,534  
  574     PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust REIT     9,924  
  134     Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc.     4,071  
  236     Peoples Bancorp, Inc.     7,330  
  108     Peoples Financial Services Corp.     4,487  
  218     People’s Utah Bancorp     5,962  
  176     PHH Corp.*     2,499  
  72     Piper Jaffray Cos     3,992  
  120     PJT Partners, Inc., Class A     4,639  
  230     PRA Group, Inc.*     6,647  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   81


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  212     Preferred Bank   $ 11,406  
  236     Premier Financial Bancorp, Inc.     4,460  
  326     Primerica, Inc.     24,955  
  146     Provident Financial Holdings, Inc.     2,765  
  374     Provident Financial Services, Inc.     9,294  
  254     Prudential Bancorp, Inc.     4,686  
  532     Pzena Investment Management, Inc., Class A     5,267  
  158     QCR Holdings, Inc.     6,905  
  1,648     Radian Group, Inc.     28,840  
  634     Redwood Trust, Inc. REIT     10,575  
  188     Regional Management Corp.*     4,127  
  144     Renasant Corp.     5,736  
  170     Republic Bancorp, Inc., Class A     6,049  
  284     Republic First Bancorp, Inc.*(a)     2,400  
  604     Riverview Bancorp, Inc.     4,850  
  152     RLI Corp.     8,135  
  236     S&T Bancorp, Inc.     8,482  
  218     Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.*     2,660  
  102     Safety Insurance Group, Inc.     7,283  
  224     Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc.     8,640  
  248     Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida*     5,672  
  380     Selective Insurance Group, Inc.     19,152  
  430     ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc.     14,667  
  266     Shore Bancshares, Inc.     4,386  
  266     SI Financial Group, Inc.     3,884  
  206     Sierra Bancorp     5,214  
  128     Simmons First National Corp., Class A     6,682  
  134     SmartFinancial, Inc.*     3,094  
  90     South State Corp.     7,403  
  170     Southern First Bancshares, Inc.*     6,010  
  182     Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc.     5,908  
  266     Southern National Bancorp of Virginia, Inc.     4,456  
  102     Southside Bancshares, Inc.     3,332  
  200     Southwest Bancorp, Inc.     5,050  
  96     State Auto Financial Corp.     2,375  
  124     State Bank Financial Corp.     3,332  
  532     State National Cos, Inc.     11,050  
  580     Sterling Bancorp     13,021  
  188     Stewart Information Services Corp.     6,783  
  164     Stifel Financial Corp.     7,831  
  290     Stock Yards Bancorp, Inc.     10,092  
  134     Stonegate Bank     6,460  
  108     Summit Financial Group, Inc.     2,364  
  338     Sun Bancorp, Inc.     7,892  
  146     Sunshine Bancorp, Inc.*     3,154  
  320     Sutherland Asset Management Corp. REIT     4,880  
  176     Territorial Bancorp, Inc.     5,320  
  242     Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.*     17,969  
  678     Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. (Bermuda)*     9,526  
  200     Timberland Bancorp, Inc.     5,542  
  84     Tompkins Financial Corp.     6,377  
  248     Towne Bank/Portsmouth VA     7,614  
  164     TriCo Bancshares     5,835  
  224     TriState Capital Holdings, Inc.*     4,682  
  236     Triumph Bancorp, Inc.*     6,655  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Financials – (continued)      
  134     Trupanion, Inc.*(a)   2,932  
  646     TrustCo Bank Corp.     5,103  
  356     Trustmark Corp.     10,545  
  230     Two River Bancorp     4,191  
  212     UMB Financial Corp.     14,229  
  792     Umpqua Holdings Corp.     13,860  
  242     Union Bankshares Corp.     7,582  
  140     United Bankshares, Inc.     4,697  
  344     United Community Banks, Inc.     8,982  
  344     United Community Financial Corp.     3,127  
  430     United Financial Bancorp, Inc.     7,448  
  90     United Fire Group, Inc.     3,785  
  260     United Security Bancshares     2,405  
  248     Unity Bancorp, Inc.     4,303  
  544     Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc.     11,669  
  188     Univest Corp. of Pennsylvania     5,480  
  1,378     Valley National Bancorp     15,420  
  140     Veritex Holdings, Inc.*     3,697  
  254     Virtu Financial, Inc., Class A     4,559  
  30     Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.     3,180  
  466     Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc., Class A(a)     8,672  
  424     Walker & Dunlop, Inc.*     20,433  
  496     Washington Federal, Inc.     15,500  
  188     Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc.     9,635  
  128     WashingtonFirst Bankshares, Inc.     4,335  
  350     Waterstone Financial, Inc.     6,178  
  248     WesBanco, Inc.     9,419  
  302     West Bancorporation, Inc.     6,629  
  102     Westamerica Bancorporation(a)     5,258  
  490     Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corp. REIT     5,150  
  436     Western New England Bancorp, Inc.     4,338  
  66     Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.     4,035  
  302     Wintrust Financial Corp.     21,989  
  2,044     WMIH Corp.*     2,555  
  78     World Acceptance Corp.*     5,836  
  104     WSFS Financial Corp.     4,649  
  164     Xenith Bankshares, Inc.*     4,699  
   

 

 

 
      2,453,460  

 

 

 
Health Care – 14.2%  
  102     Abaxis, Inc.     4,714  
  514     Abeona Therapeutics, Inc.*(a)     6,759  
  90     Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.*(a)     2,070  
  454     Aceto Corp.     4,817  
  140     Achaogen, Inc.*     2,624  
  96     Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,489  
  436     Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.*     9,069  
  152     Addus HomeCare Corp.*     5,176  
  72     Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     4,129  
  140     Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc.*     3,010  
  338     Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.*     5,658  
  114     Albany Molecular Research, Inc.*(a)     2,478  
  938     Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc.*     12,325  
  128     Almost Family, Inc.*     6,234  
  504     AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     8,417  

 

 

 

 

82   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Health Care – (continued)  
  290     Amedisys, Inc.*   $ 15,150  
  236     American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc.*(a)     3,382  
  272     Amicus Therapeutics, Inc.*     3,792  
  374     AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.*     13,969  
  344     Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     5,507  
  114     Analogic Corp.     8,157  
  454     Anavex Life Sciences Corp.*(a)     2,016  
  520     AngioDynamics, Inc.*     8,856  
  78     ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     3,744  
  48     Anika Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,578  
  968     Antares Pharma, Inc.*(a)     2,914  
  1,808     Array BioPharma, Inc.*(a)     17,501  
  128     Assembly Biosciences, Inc.*     3,470  
  176     AtriCure, Inc.*     3,948  
  12     Atrion Corp.     7,466  
  48     Avexis, Inc.*     4,481  
  188     AxoGen, Inc.*     3,309  
  114     Axovant Sciences Ltd.*     2,280  
  424     BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     2,162  
  968     BioScrip, Inc.*     2,933  
  48     BioSpecifics Technologies Corp.*     2,263  
  368     BioTelemetry, Inc.*     13,671  
  96     Bluebird Bio, Inc.*     11,986  
  108     Blueprint Medicines Corp.*     5,856  
  176     Calithera Biosciences, Inc.*     2,886  
  170     Cambrex Corp.*     8,857  
  128     Cantel Medical Corp.     10,400  
  152     Capital Senior Living Corp.*(a)     1,889  
  152     Cara Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,178  
  436     Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.*     12,805  
  610     Castlight Health, Inc., Class B*(a)     2,379  
  592     Catalent, Inc.*     24,444  
  1,028     Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     2,827  
  114     Chemed Corp.     22,491  
  774     ChemoCentryx, Inc.*     5,372  
  326     Civitas Solutions, Inc.*     6,227  
  302     Clearside Biomedical, Inc.*     2,111  
  90     Clovis Oncology, Inc.*     6,846  
  158     Coherus Biosciences, Inc.*(a)     2,283  
  1,022     Community Health Systems, Inc.*     7,808  
  810     Conatus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     4,649  
  140     CONMED Corp.     6,944  
  412     Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc.*(a)     3,193  
  1,838     Corcept Therapeutics, Inc.*     30,639  
  332     Corium International, Inc.*(a)     2,839  
  90     CorVel Corp.*     4,671  
  224     Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     3,622  
  120     Cotiviti Holdings, Inc.*     4,288  
  852     Cross Country Healthcare, Inc.*     10,548  
  158     CryoLife, Inc.*     3,286  
  418     Cutera, Inc.*     15,529  
  302     Cytokinetics, Inc.*     4,485  
  170     CytomX Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,938  
  1,142     Depomed, Inc.*     6,943  
  362     Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.*     6,063  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Health Care – (continued)  
  236     Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*(a)   12,876  
  146     Editas Medicine, Inc.*(a)     3,082  
  224     Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.*     8,362  
  72     Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     3,086  
  218     Ensign Group, Inc. (The)     4,478  
  230     Entellus Medical, Inc.*(a)     4,071  
  1,306     Enzo Biochem, Inc.*     14,692  
  182     Epizyme, Inc.*     3,158  
  72     Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.*(a)     3,558  
  90     Evolent Health, Inc., Class A*     1,503  
  260     Exact Sciences Corp.*     10,891  
  236     Exactech, Inc.*     7,210  
  816     Fate Therapeutics, Inc.*     3,084  
  102     FibroGen, Inc.*     4,916  
  146     FONAR Corp.*     4,322  
  188     Foundation Medicine, Inc.*     7,576  
  344     GenMark Diagnostics, Inc.*     3,351  
  544     Genomic Health, Inc.*     17,245  
  308     Glaukos Corp.*(a)     11,627  
  90     Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,736  
  436     Globus Medical, Inc., Class A*     13,180  
  308     Haemonetics Corp.*     13,250  
  170     Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,212  
  302     Halyard Health, Inc.*     13,678  
  170     HealthEquity, Inc.*     7,271  
  478     HealthSouth Corp.     21,868  
  78     HealthStream, Inc.*     1,832  
  120     Heska Corp.*     12,206  
  314     HMS Holdings Corp.*     5,564  
  1,300     Horizon Pharma PLC*     17,784  
  54     ICU Medical, Inc.*     9,415  
  502     ImmunoGen, Inc.*(a)     4,197  
  430     Immunomedics, Inc.*(a)     5,435  
  290     Impax Laboratories, Inc.*     6,279  
  374     INC Research Holdings, Inc., Class A*     21,954  
  326     Innoviva, Inc.*(a)     4,577  
  114     Inogen, Inc.*     10,921  
  188     Inovalon Holdings, Inc., Class A*(a)     2,547  
  182     Insmed, Inc.*     2,260  
  278     Insulet Corp.*     16,141  
  762     Insys Therapeutics, Inc.*(a)     6,965  
  230     Integer Holdings Corp.*     10,569  
  218     Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp.*     11,116  
  308     Intellia Therapeutics, Inc.*     6,477  
  550     Intersect ENT, Inc.*     16,995  
  206     Invacare Corp.     2,781  
  60     iRhythm Technologies, Inc.*     2,864  
  374     Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*(a)     5,965  
  212     Jounce Therapeutics, Inc.*(a)     3,602  
  224     K2M Group Holdings, Inc.*     5,237  
  412     Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.*(a)     2,971  
  350     Kindred Biosciences, Inc.*     2,660  
  696     Kindred Healthcare, Inc.     5,638  
  114     Kite Pharma, Inc.*     20,291  
  344     Kura Oncology, Inc.*     2,477  
  48     Landauer, Inc.     2,978  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   83


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Health Care – (continued)  
  640     Lannett Co., Inc.*(a)   $ 11,232  
  720     Lantheus Holdings, Inc.*     12,600  
  302     LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.     10,993  
  212     LHC Group, Inc.*     13,833  
  42     Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*(a)     5,413  
  260     LivaNova PLC*     16,271  
  48     Loxo Oncology, Inc.*     4,003  
  804     Luminex Corp.     15,541  
  84     Magellan Health, Inc.*     6,796  
  314     Masimo Corp.*     26,495  
  912     Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc.*     1,167  
  84     Medicines Co. (The)*(a)     3,082  
  242     Medidata Solutions, Inc.*     18,140  
  236     Medpace Holdings, Inc.*     7,703  
  296     Meridian Bioscience, Inc.     4,114  
  224     Merit Medical Systems, Inc.*     9,251  
  1,470     MiMedx Group, Inc.*(a)     23,917  
  278     Molina Healthcare, Inc.*(a)     17,792  
  326     Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     5,493  
  170     MyoKardia, Inc.*     7,370  
  912     Myriad Genetics, Inc.*     27,807  
  556     NanoString Technologies, Inc.*     8,590  
  568     Natera, Inc.*     7,015  
  60     National HealthCare Corp.     3,740  
  236     National Research Corp., Class A     7,623  
  146     Natus Medical, Inc.*     4,906  
  90     Neogen Corp.*     6,201  
  520     NeoGenomics, Inc.*     5,257  
  28     Nevro Corp.*     2,413  
  260     Novelion Therapeutics, Inc. (Canada)*     1,849  
  278     NuVasive, Inc.*     17,369  
  406     NxStage Medical, Inc.*     11,368  
  646     Nymox Pharmaceutical Corp. (Canada)*     2,410  
  236     Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.*     1,477  
  96     Omeros Corp.*     1,965  
  152     Omnicell, Inc.*     7,798  
  236     OraSure Technologies, Inc.*     4,817  
  284     Orthofix International NV*     13,976  
  394     Owens & Minor, Inc.     11,008  
  200     Oxford Immunotec Global PLC*     3,164  
  1,118     Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.*     5,534  
  96     Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     3,658  
  102     Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*(a)     2,876  
  418     PAREXEL International Corp.*     36,738  
  4,940     PDL BioPharma, Inc.*     15,413  
  120     Penumbra, Inc.*     10,320  
  182     PharMerica Corp.*     5,351  
  532     Phibro Animal Health Corp., Class A     18,886  
  544     Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*(a)     2,997  
  96     Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     6,091  
  218     PRA Health Sciences, Inc.*     16,873  
  302     Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc.*     15,314  
  356     Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     2,396  
  54     Prothena Corp. PLC (Ireland)*(a)     3,318  
  72     Providence Service Corp. (The)*     3,732  
  140     PTC Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,905  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Health Care – (continued)  
  78     Pulse Biosciences, Inc.*   1,562  
  54     Puma Biotechnology, Inc.*     4,995  
  846     Quality Systems, Inc.*     13,325  
  114     Quidel Corp.*     3,983  
  666     R1 RCM, Inc.*     2,198  
  974     RadNet, Inc.*     9,984  
  84     Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Class A*     2,541  
  128     REGENXBIO, Inc.*     2,912  
  140     Repligen Corp.*     6,114  
  478     RTI Surgical, Inc.*     2,151  
  78     Sage Therapeutics, Inc.*     6,416  
  308     Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc.*     4,112  
  72     Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,901  
  1,644     SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     18,084  
  466     Select Medical Holdings Corp.*     8,668  
  350     Simulations Plus, Inc.     5,075  
  980     STAAR Surgical Co.*     11,711  
  302     Stemline Therapeutics, Inc.*     2,733  
  556     Strongbridge Biopharma PLC*     3,725  
  768     Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Class A*     9,024  
  580     Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     26,564  
  248     Surgery Partners, Inc.*     2,418  
  128     Surmodics, Inc.*     3,328  
  290     Tactile Systems Technology, Inc.*     9,535  
  146     Teladoc, Inc.*     4,898  
  284     Teligent, Inc.*(a)     1,962  
  332     Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     2,317  
  102     Theravance Biopharma, Inc. (Cayman Islands)*(a)     3,332  
  114     Tivity Health, Inc.*     4,469  
  592     Triple-S Management Corp., Class B (Puerto Rico)*     14,628  
  72     US Physical Therapy, Inc.     4,313  
  36     Utah Medical Products, Inc.     2,597  
  950     Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     16,340  
  134     Varex Imaging Corp.*     4,091  
  750     Veracyte, Inc.*     6,143  
  146     Versartis, Inc.*     2,774  
  374     ViewRay, Inc.*(a)     1,967  
  302     Viveve Medical, Inc.*     1,712  
  284     Vocera Communications, Inc.*     7,909  
  350     Wright Medical Group NV*     10,360  
  406     Xencor, Inc.*     8,778  
  164     Zogenix, Inc.*     1,943  
  134     Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*     851  
   

 

 

 
      1,687,585  

 

 

 
Industrials – 13.7%      
  406     AAON, Inc.     13,236  
  158     AAR Corp.     5,697  
  136     ABM Industries, Inc.     6,042  
  720     Acacia Research Corp.*     2,340  
  484     ACCO Brands Corp.*     5,300  
  230     Actuant Corp., Class A     5,531  
  134     Advanced Disposal Services, Inc.*     3,195  
  242     Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.     4,707  

 

 

 

 

84   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  134     Advisory Board Co. (The)*   $ 7,135  
  182     Aegion Corp.*     3,944  
  350     Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc.*     10,370  
  78     Aerovironment, Inc.*     3,824  
  206     Air Transport Services Group, Inc.*     4,730  
  108     Aircastle Ltd.     2,421  
  96     Alamo Group, Inc.     8,809  
  60     Albany International Corp., Class A     3,216  
  48     Allegiant Travel Co.     5,664  
  212     Allied Motion Technologies, Inc.     5,361  
  140     Altra Industrial Motion Corp.     6,447  
  66     American Railcar Industries, Inc.     2,376  
  134     American Woodmark Corp.*     11,095  
  206     Apogee Enterprises, Inc.     9,002  
  380     Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.     21,660  
  732     ARC Document Solutions, Inc.*     2,584  
  308     ArcBest Corp.     9,148  
  128     Argan, Inc.     8,109  
  134     Armstrong Flooring, Inc.*     1,999  
  66     Astec Industries, Inc.     3,279  
  84     Astronics Corp.*     2,208  
  394     Atkore International Group, Inc.*     6,564  
  48     Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc.*     3,206  
  296     Avis Budget Group, Inc.*     10,724  
  568     Axon Enterprise, Inc.*(a)     12,331  
  54     AZZ, Inc.     2,641  
  278     Barnes Group, Inc.     17,381  
  96     Barrett Business Services, Inc.     4,952  
  350     Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.*     16,485  
  224     BG Staffing, Inc.     3,622  
  230     Blue Bird Corp.*     4,186  
  762     BMC Stock Holdings, Inc.*     15,469  
  400     Brady Corp., Class A     13,340  
  158     Briggs & Stratton Corp.     3,309  
  176     Brink’s Co. (The)     13,807  
  768     Builders FirstSource, Inc.*     12,503  
  200     Caesarstone Ltd. (Israel)*     5,795  
  102     CAI International, Inc.*     3,161  
  314     Casella Waste Systems, Inc., Class A*     5,278  
  610     CBIZ, Inc.*     9,241  
  356     CECO Environmental Corp.     2,659  
  224     Chart Industries, Inc.*     7,558  
  448     Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. NV(a)     5,528  
  42     CIRCOR International, Inc.     2,017  
  236     Columbus McKinnon Corp.     7,795  
  380     Comfort Systems USA, Inc.     12,939  
  502     Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc.*     2,982  
  230     Continental Building Products, Inc.*     5,600  
  732     Costamare, Inc. (Monaco)     4,590  
  242     Covanta Holding Corp.(a)     3,473  
  164     CRA International, Inc.     6,155  
  90     CSW Industrials, Inc.*     3,766  
  120     Cubic Corp.     5,154  
  134     Curtiss-Wright Corp.     12,974  
  296     Deluxe Corp.     20,528  
  302     DigitalGlobe, Inc.*     10,389  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  158     Douglas Dynamics, Inc.   5,514  
  134     Ducommun, Inc.*     3,685  
  314     DXP Enterprises, Inc.*     8,506  
  158     Dycom Industries, Inc.*     12,747  
  176     Eastern Co. (The)     4,602  
  634     Echo Global Logistics, Inc.*     9,637  
  338     EMCOR Group, Inc.     22,322  
  114     Encore Wire Corp.     4,891  
  158     Energous Corp.*(a)     1,499  
  218     EnerSys     13,974  
  90     Engility Holdings, Inc.*     2,796  
  146     Ennis, Inc.     2,789  
  84     EnPro Industries, Inc.     5,919  
  96     EnviroStar, Inc.(a)     3,173  
  164     ESCO Technologies, Inc.     8,930  
  260     Essendant, Inc.     3,084  
  134     Esterline Technologies Corp.*     11,444  
  60     Exponent, Inc.     4,086  
  188     Federal Signal Corp.     3,514  
  272     Forward Air Corp.     14,136  
  308     Franklin Covey Co.*     5,790  
  120     Franklin Electric Co, Inc.     4,626  
  224     FreightCar America, Inc.     4,068  
  224     FTI Consulting, Inc.*     7,596  
  128     GATX Corp.     7,754  
  158     Gencor Industries, Inc.*     2,433  
  206     Generac Holdings, Inc.*     8,318  
  158     Gibraltar Industries, Inc.*     4,621  
  128     Global Brass & Copper Holdings, Inc.     3,821  
  472     GMS, Inc.*     15,189  
  90     Gorman-Rupp Co. (The)     2,740  
  90     GP Strategies Corp.*     2,574  
  120     Graham Corp.     2,404  
  48     Granite Construction, Inc.     2,651  
  188     Greenbrier Cos, Inc. (The)(a)     8,065  
  140     H&E Equipment Services, Inc.     3,296  
  236     Hardinge, Inc.     3,231  
  374     Harsco Corp.*     6,395  
  394     Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.*     16,883  
  520     HC2 Holdings, Inc.*     2,371  
  338     Healthcare Services Group, Inc.     17,306  
  146     Heartland Express, Inc.     3,237  
  120     Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.     2,190  
  188     Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.*     3,666  
  484     Herman Miller, Inc.     16,287  
  326     Hillenbrand, Inc.     11,654  
  308     HNI Corp.     11,288  
  254     Hub Group, Inc., Class A*     9,766  
  134     Hurco Cos, Inc.     4,710  
  140     Huron Consulting Group, Inc.*     4,235  
  756     Huttig Building Products, Inc.*(a)     4,309  
  54     Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.     3,844  
  182     ICF International, Inc.*     8,745  
  296     IES Holdings, Inc.*     4,884  
  514     InnerWorkings, Inc.*     5,382  
  108     Insperity, Inc.     8,672  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   85


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  496     Interface, Inc.   $ 9,424  
  72     JELD-WEN Holding, Inc.*     2,197  
  146     John Bean Technologies Corp.     12,950  
  120     Kadant, Inc.     10,422  
  136     Kaman Corp.     6,669  
  164     KBR, Inc.     2,668  
  326     Kelly Services, Inc., Class A     7,051  
  302     Kennametal, Inc.     10,570  
  538     Kforce, Inc.     9,684  
  906     Kimball International, Inc., Class B     15,366  
  284     KLX, Inc.*     13,615  
  218     Knight Transportation, Inc.     8,513  
  308     Knoll, Inc.     5,559  
  212     Korn/Ferry International     7,064  
  290     Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.*     3,880  
  206     Lawson Products, Inc.*     4,913  
  266     LB Foster Co., Class A     5,081  
  48     Lindsay Corp.     4,155  
  278     LSC Communications, Inc.     4,479  
  272     LSI Industries, Inc.     1,548  
  90     Lydall, Inc.*     4,230  
  140     Marten Transport Ltd.     2,401  
  90     Masonite International Corp.*     5,697  
  320     MasTec, Inc.*     13,056  
  78     Matson, Inc.     2,012  
  120     Matthews International Corp., Class A     7,230  
  72     McGrath RentCorp     2,907  
  108     Mercury Systems, Inc.*     5,211  
  454     Meritor, Inc.*     9,016  
  128     Milacron Holdings Corp.*     2,042  
  96     Miller Industries, Inc.     2,410  
  206     Mistras Group, Inc.*     3,895  
  84     Mobile Mini, Inc.     2,541  
  128     Moog, Inc., Class A*     9,825  
  466     MRC Global, Inc.*     7,349  
  188     MSA Safety, Inc.     13,698  
  102     Mueller Industries, Inc.     3,043  
  236     Mueller Water Products, Inc., Class A     2,830  
  66     Multi-Color Corp.     5,267  
  108     MYR Group, Inc.*     2,787  
  48     National Presto Industries, Inc.(a)     4,781  
  290     Navigant Consulting, Inc.*     4,446  
  102     Navistar International Corp.*     3,484  
  460     NCI Building Systems, Inc.*     7,728  
  260     Neff Corp., Class A*     6,487  
  592     Nexeo Solutions, Inc.*     4,245  
  114     NN, Inc.     2,907  
  152     Northwest Pipe Co.*     2,788  
  394     NOW, Inc.*     4,594  
  230     NV5 Global, Inc.*     11,097  
  90     Omega Flex, Inc.     5,219  
  344     On Assignment, Inc.*     16,409  
  622     Orion Group Holdings, Inc.*     3,757  
  90     Park-Ohio Holdings Corp.     3,587  
  90     Patrick Industries, Inc.*     6,660  
  592     PGT Innovations, Inc.*     7,814  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  332     Ply Gem Holdings, Inc.*   5,163  
  152     Powell Industries, Inc.     4,327  
  102     Preformed Line Products Co.     5,330  
  218     Primoris Services Corp.     6,237  
  134     Proto Labs, Inc.*     9,621  
  170     Quad/Graphics, Inc.     3,240  
  224     Quanex Building Products Corp.     4,390  
  1,192     Radiant Logistics, Inc.*     6,020  
  152     Raven Industries, Inc.     4,256  
  78     RBC Bearings, Inc.*     8,601  
  720     Resources Connection, Inc.     9,180  
  78     REV Group, Inc.     1,965  
  380     Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc.*     2,816  
  368     Rexnord Corp.*     8,788  
  732     Roadrunner Transportation Systems, Inc.*     5,468  
  484     RPX Corp.*     6,321  
  278     Rush Enterprises, Inc., Class A*     11,395  
  164     Rush Enterprises, Inc., Class B*     6,317  
  1,094     Safe Bulkers, Inc. (Greece)*     3,545  
  102     Saia, Inc.*     5,768  
  394     Scorpio Bulkers, Inc.*     3,172  
  260     Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc.     11,383  
  338     SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc.*     16,981  
  152     SkyWest, Inc.     5,274  
  212     SP Plus Corp.*     7,823  
  296     Spartan Motors, Inc.     2,723  
  242     Sparton Corp.*     5,607  
  152     SPX Corp.*     3,663  
  152     SPX FLOW, Inc.*     5,087  
  30     Standex International Corp.     2,864  
  684     Steelcase, Inc., Class A     9,029  
  550     Sterling Construction Co., Inc.*     6,479  
  84     Sun Hydraulics Corp.     4,024  
  442     Supreme Industries, Inc., Class A     9,255  
  362     Swift Transportation Co.*     10,154  
  96     Team, Inc.*     1,186  
  272     Tennant Co.     16,578  
  332     Tetra Tech, Inc.     14,143  
  134     Thermon Group Holdings, Inc.*     2,214  
  212     Titan International, Inc.     1,819  
  296     Titan Machinery, Inc.*     3,818  
  140     TPI Composites, Inc.*     2,848  
  308     Trex Co., Inc.*     23,408  
  272     TriMas Corp.*     6,582  
  212     TriNet Group, Inc.*     7,575  
  102     Triton International Ltd. (Bermuda)*     3,766  
  176     Triumph Group, Inc.     4,629  
  586     TrueBlue, Inc.*     11,984  
  170     Tutor Perini Corp.*     4,446  
  296     Twin Disc, Inc.*     5,139  
  78     UniFirst Corp.     11,201  
  108     Universal Forest Products, Inc.     9,419  
  48     US Ecology, Inc.     2,467  
  200     Vectrus, Inc.*     5,716  
  278     Veritiv Corp.*     7,784  
  152     Viad Corp.     8,352  

 

 

 

 

86   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Industrials – (continued)      
  502     Vicor Corp.*   $ 9,764  
  72     VSE Corp.     3,755  
  454     Wabash National Corp.     9,543  
  66     WageWorks, Inc.*     3,891  
  146     Watts Water Technologies, Inc., Class A     9,008  
  176     Werner Enterprises, Inc.     5,826  
  472     Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc.*     3,965  
  260     West Corp.     6,076  
  242     Willdan Group, Inc.*     7,504  
  90     Willis Lease Finance Corp.*     2,142  
  108     Woodward, Inc.     7,583  
   

 

 

 
      1,635,435  

 

 

 
Information Technology – 17.1%      
  314     2U, Inc.*     15,731  
  314     3D Systems Corp.*(a)     3,944  
  412     8x8, Inc.*     5,830  
  968     A10 Networks, Inc.*     6,340  
  90     Acacia Communications, Inc.*(a)     4,395  
  332     ACI Worldwide, Inc.*     7,556  
  344     Actua Corp.*     4,403  
  254     Acxiom Corp.*     5,916  
  344     ADTRAN, Inc.     7,602  
  272     Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.*     20,003  
  992     Aerohive Networks, Inc.*     3,422  
  254     Agilysys, Inc.*     2,614  
  120     Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.*     5,390  
  140     Alpha & Omega Semiconductor Ltd.*     2,223  
  212     Ambarella, Inc.*(a)     11,533  
  344     American Software, Inc., Class A     3,787  
  974     Amkor Technology, Inc.*     8,552  
  538     Angie’s List, Inc.*(a)     6,542  
  218     Anixter International, Inc.*     16,088  
  254     Appfolio, Inc., Class A*     10,897  
  66     Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.*(a)     3,902  
  248     Apptio, Inc., Class A*     4,414  
  484     Aspen Technology, Inc.*     30,613  
  1,052     Avid Technology, Inc.*     4,639  
  338     AVX Corp.     5,898  
  152     Axcelis Technologies, Inc.*     3,177  
  768     AXT, Inc.*     5,990  
  170     Badger Meter, Inc.     7,803  
  598     Bankrate, Inc.*     8,282  
  248     Barracuda Networks, Inc.*     6,004  
  508     Bazaarvoice, Inc.*     2,413  
  164     Bel Fuse, Inc., Class B     4,182  
  146     Belden, Inc.     11,252  
  460     Benchmark Electronics, Inc.*     14,950  
  134     Blackbaud, Inc.     11,311  
  454     Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.*     20,339  
  514     Blucora, Inc.*     11,719  
  102     Bottomline Technologies de, Inc.*     3,092  
  702     Box, Inc., Class A*     13,773  
  738     Brightcove, Inc.*     5,203  
  54     BroadSoft, Inc.*(a)     2,676  
  344     Brooks Automation, Inc.     8,968  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Information Technology – (continued)      
  140     Cabot Microelectronics Corp.   10,027  
  164     CACI International, Inc., Class A*     21,287  
  158     CalAmp Corp.*     2,929  
  864     Calix, Inc.*     4,234  
  108     Callidus Software, Inc.*     2,781  
  356     Carbonite, Inc.*     7,120  
  266     Cardtronics PLC, Class A*     6,911  
  332     Care.com, Inc.*     4,970  
  508     Cars.com, Inc.*     13,137  
  60     Cass Information Systems, Inc.     3,673  
  90     CEVA, Inc.*     3,650  
  350     ChannelAdvisor Corp.*     4,060  
  702     Ciena Corp.*     15,170  
  176     Cimpress NV (Netherlands)*     16,269  
  520     Cirrus Logic, Inc.*     30,150  
  332     Clearfield, Inc.*     4,050  
  206     Cohu, Inc.     3,865  
  454     CommerceHub, Inc., Series C*     9,638  
  406     CommerceHub, Inc., Series A*     9,001  
  272     CommVault Systems, Inc.*     16,606  
  200     Comtech Telecommunications Corp.     3,914  
  568     Control4 Corp.*     14,064  
  550     Convergys Corp.     12,925  
  152     Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc.*     5,317  
  152     Coupa Software, Inc.*(a)     4,630  
  586     Cree, Inc.*     14,257  
  152     CSG Systems International, Inc.     5,884  
  182     CTS Corp.     4,095  
  218     CyberOptics Corp.*(a)     3,303  
  720     Daktronics, Inc.     6,934  
  1,536     DHI Group, Inc.*     2,995  
  96     Diebold Nixdorf, Inc.     1,963  
  418     Digi International, Inc.*     3,846  
  380     Diodes, Inc.*     10,693  
  508     DSP Group, Inc.*     6,045  
  54     Ebix, Inc.     3,116  
  296     Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.*     3,647  
  242     Electronics For Imaging, Inc.*     8,606  
  96     Ellie Mae, Inc.*     7,966  
  218     EMCORE Corp.*     1,984  
  828     Entegris, Inc.*     21,073  
  72     Envestnet, Inc.*     3,200  
  236     EPAM Systems, Inc.*     19,194  
  102     ePlus, Inc.*     8,537  
  188     Etsy, Inc.*     3,078  
  200     Everbridge, Inc.*     4,634  
  744     Everi Holdings, Inc.*     5,736  
  368     EVERTEC, Inc. (Puerto Rico)     6,771  
  442     Exa Corp.*     6,343  
  170     ExlService Holdings, Inc.*     9,568  
  1,458     Extreme Networks, Inc.*     16,665  
  134     Fair Isaac Corp.     18,862  
  108     FARO Technologies, Inc.*     3,721  
  454     Finisar Corp.*     10,964  
  944     Fitbit, Inc., Class A*(a)     5,692  
  508     Five9, Inc.*     10,922  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   87


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Information Technology – (continued)      
  218     FormFactor, Inc.*   $ 3,292  
  140     Forrester Research, Inc.     5,705  
  176     Gigamon, Inc.*     7,559  
  206     Gogo, Inc.*(a)     2,886  
  188     GrubHub, Inc.*(a)     10,733  
  308     GSI Technology, Inc.*     2,045  
  140     GTT Communications, Inc.*     4,445  
  708     Guidance Software, Inc.*     5,013  
  532     Hackett Group, Inc. (The)     7,267  
  562     Harmonic, Inc.*     1,827  
  284     Hortonworks, Inc.*     4,825  
  218     HubSpot, Inc.*     15,990  
  188     Ichor Holdings Ltd.*     4,301  
  200     II-VI, Inc.*     7,170  
  60     Imperva, Inc.*     2,679  
  120     Impinj, Inc.*(a)     4,589  
  1,022     Information Services Group, Inc.*     3,833  
  66     Inphi Corp.*     2,527  
  108     Insight Enterprises, Inc.*     4,329  
  380     Instructure, Inc.*     11,248  
  598     Integrated Device Technology, Inc.*     14,777  
  206     InterDigital, Inc.     14,698  
  224     Intevac, Inc.*     2,038  
  750     Iteris, Inc.*     4,815  
  230     Itron, Inc.*     16,698  
  400     IXYS Corp.*     9,200  
  188     j2 Global, Inc.     14,153  
  472     KEMET Corp.*     11,286  
  368     Kimball Electronics, Inc.*     7,010  
  406     Knowles Corp.*     5,956  
  660     Kopin Corp.*     2,653  
  490     KVH Industries, Inc.*     5,782  
  568     Lattice Semiconductor Corp.*     3,209  
  368     Leaf Group Ltd.*     2,613  
  502     Liquidity Services, Inc.*     2,861  
  72     Littelfuse, Inc.     13,404  
  586     LivePerson, Inc.*     7,852  
  164     Lumentum Holdings, Inc.*     9,323  
  120     MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.*     5,465  
  242     ManTech International Corp., Class A     9,733  
  412     MAXIMUS, Inc.     25,041  
  514     MaxLinear, Inc.*     11,102  
  430     Maxwell Technologies, Inc.*     2,395  
  1,222     Meet Group, Inc. (The)*     4,790  
  24     Mesa Laboratories, Inc.     3,278  
  242     Methode Electronics, Inc.     9,898  
  42     MicroStrategy, Inc., Class A*     5,418  
  1,234     MicroVision, Inc.*     2,925  
  388     MINDBODY, Inc., Class A*     9,176  
  502     Mitek Systems, Inc.*     5,095  
  308     MKS Instruments, Inc.     25,364  
  1,034     MobileIron, Inc.*     3,929  
  182     Model N, Inc.*     2,466  
  230     Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.     23,304  
  128     Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc.     2,336  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Information Technology – (continued)      
  128     MTS Systems Corp.   6,195  
  356     Nanometrics, Inc.*     9,181  
  374     Napco Security Technologies, Inc.*     2,936  
  176     NETGEAR, Inc.*     8,448  
  508     NetScout Systems, Inc.*     16,637  
  236     New Relic, Inc.*     11,304  
  308     NIC, Inc.     5,036  
  182     Novanta, Inc.*     7,116  
  66     NVE Corp.     5,005  
  508     Oclaro, Inc.*(a)     4,272  
  96     OSI Systems, Inc.*     7,974  
  134     Park Electrochemical Corp.     2,433  
  146     Paycom Software, Inc.*     10,893  
  48     Paylocity Holding Corp.*     2,359  
  368     PC Connection, Inc.     9,388  
  320     PCM, Inc.*     4,208  
  164     PDF Solutions, Inc.*(a)     2,491  
  278     Pegasystems, Inc.     15,999  
  484     Perficient, Inc.*     8,857  
  986     Photronics, Inc.*     7,789  
  900     Pixelworks, Inc.*     4,320  
  1,464     Planet Payment, Inc.*     5,797  
  260     Plantronics, Inc.     11,084  
  254     Plexus Corp.*     13,228  
  146     Power Integrations, Inc.     10,636  
  320     Progress Software Corp.     10,746  
  114     Proofpoint, Inc.*     10,461  
  158     PROS Holdings, Inc.*     4,162  
  888     Pure Storage, Inc., Class A*(a)     13,222  
  140     Q2 Holdings, Inc.*     5,684  
  134     QAD, Inc., Class A     4,516  
  140     Qualys, Inc.*     6,650  
  224     Quantenna Communications, Inc.*     4,162  
  888     Quantum Corp.*     4,893  
  1,076     QuinStreet, Inc.*     5,757  
  212     Quotient Technology, Inc.*     3,180  
  1,016     Radisys Corp.*     1,595  
  926     Rambus, Inc.*     12,010  
  284     Rapid7, Inc.*     4,788  
  254     RealPage, Inc.*     10,947  
  120     Reis, Inc.     2,052  
  478     RingCentral, Inc., Class A*     20,243  
  1,112     Rocket Fuel, Inc.*     2,880  
  90     Rogers Corp.*     10,670  
  532     Rosetta Stone, Inc.*     4,894  
  1,130     Rubicon Project, Inc. (The)*     4,249  
  400     Rudolph Technologies, Inc.*     8,880  
  472     Sanmina Corp.*     17,676  
  200     ScanSource, Inc.*     7,850  
  278     Science Applications International Corp.     20,539  
  242     Semtech Corp.*     9,099  
  1,778     ShoreTel, Inc.*     13,246  
  114     Shutterstock, Inc.*     3,828  
  1,192     Sigma Designs, Inc.*     7,450  
  170     Silicon Laboratories, Inc.*     12,903  
  1,252     Sonus Networks, Inc.*     8,651  

 

 

 

 

88   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Information Technology – (continued)      
  48     SPS Commerce, Inc.*   $ 2,924  
  78     Stamps.com, Inc.*(a)     14,918  
  320     StarTek, Inc.*     3,808  
  114     Stratasys Ltd.*     2,551  
  296     Sykes Enterprises, Inc.*     7,891  
  290     Synaptics, Inc.*     12,055  
  666     Synchronoss Technologies, Inc.*     11,182  
  72     SYNNEX Corp.     8,612  
  394     Syntel, Inc.     7,116  
  362     Systemax, Inc.     8,847  
  134     Tech Data Corp.*     14,779  
  418     TechTarget, Inc.*     4,155  
  302     Telenav, Inc.*     1,963  
  224     TeleTech Holdings, Inc.     8,893  
  490     TiVo Corp.     8,967  
  90     Trade Desk, Inc. (The), Class A*     4,767  
  804     Travelport Worldwide Ltd.     12,173  
  628     TrueCar, Inc.*     10,645  
  654     TTM Technologies, Inc.*     9,313  
  60     Tucows, Inc., Class A*(a)     3,171  
  84     Twilio, Inc., Class A*(a)     2,460  
  164     Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.*(a)     9,773  
  278     Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc.*     6,413  
  478     Unisys Corp.*(a)     3,705  
  128     Upland Software, Inc.*     2,944  
  296     Varonis Systems, Inc.*     11,485  
  296     VASCO Data Security International, Inc.*     3,715  
  206     Veeco Instruments, Inc.*     3,893  
  400     VeriFone Systems, Inc.*     7,908  
  344     Verint Systems, Inc.*     13,657  
  66     ViaSat, Inc.*(a)     4,198  
  870     Viavi Solutions, Inc.*     8,735  
  78     Virtusa Corp.*     2,833  
  888     Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.     15,718  
  230     Vishay Precision Group, Inc.*     5,026  
  356     Web.com Group, Inc.*     9,007  
  164     WebMD Health Corp.*     10,896  
  484     Workiva, Inc.*     9,777  
  858     Xcerra Corp.*     8,426  
  544     XO Group, Inc.*     10,129  
  260     Xperi Corp.     7,085  
  526     Yelp, Inc.*     22,408  
  236     Zendesk, Inc.*     6,466  
  1,076     Zix Corp.*     5,714  
   

 

 

 
      2,028,916  

 

 

 
Materials – 4.0%      
  170     A Schulman, Inc.     5,168  
  146     AdvanSix, Inc.*     4,662  
  634     AgroFresh Solutions, Inc.*     4,514  
  514     AK Steel Holding Corp.*(a)     2,878  
  418     American Vanguard Corp.     8,464  
  108     Balchem Corp.     8,096  
  314     Boise Cascade Co.*     9,420  
  164     Calgon Carbon Corp.     2,001  
  114     Carpenter Technology Corp.     4,620  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Materials – (continued)      
  170     Century Aluminum Co.*   3,318  
  146     Chase Corp.     13,651  
  60     Clearwater Paper Corp.*     2,790  
  1,240     Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.*     10,366  
  732     Coeur Mining, Inc.*     6,405  
  296     Commercial Metals Co.     5,591  
  66     Compass Minerals International, Inc.     4,409  
  236     Core Molding Technologies, Inc.     4,855  
  30     Deltic Timber Corp.     2,341  
  350     Ferro Corp.*     6,744  
  368     Forterra, Inc.*(a)     1,222  
  224     FutureFuel Corp.     3,020  
  574     GCP Applied Technologies, Inc.*     16,215  
  876     Gold Resource Corp.     3,495  
  108     Greif, Inc., Class A     6,529  
  36     Greif, Inc., Class B     2,273  
  66     Hawkins, Inc.     2,353  
  66     Haynes International, Inc.     2,016  
  314     HB Fuller Co.     15,760  
  1,778     Hecla Mining Co.     9,388  
  314     Ingevity Corp.*     19,773  
  114     Innophos Holdings, Inc.     5,205  
  152     Innospec, Inc.     8,436  
  44     Kaiser Aluminum Corp.     4,238  
  484     KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp.     10,827  
  762     Klondex Mines Ltd. (Canada)*     2,568  
  296     KMG Chemicals, Inc.     14,214  
  78     Koppers Holdings, Inc.*     3,058  
  188     Kraton Corp.*     6,172  
  164     Kronos Worldwide, Inc.     3,433  
  822     Louisiana-Pacific Corp.*     20,945  
  188     Materion Corp.     7,182  
  176     Minerals Technologies, Inc.     11,264  
  732     Myers Industries, Inc.     13,762  
  72     Neenah Paper, Inc.     5,562  
  290     Olympic Steel, Inc.     5,292  
  362     OMNOVA Solutions, Inc.*     3,149  
  120     PH Glatfelter Co.     2,078  
  326     PolyOne Corp.     11,782  
  134     Quaker Chemical Corp.     18,655  
  248     Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc.     3,403  
  490     Ryerson Holding Corp.*     4,214  
  120     Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., Class A     3,228  
  152     Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.     5,765  
  176     Sensient Technologies Corp.     12,698  
  152     Stepan Co.     11,759  
  320     Summit Materials, Inc., Class A*     9,453  
  586     SunCoke Energy, Inc.*     5,462  
  380     TimkenSteel Corp.*     5,635  
  218     Trecora Resources*     2,649  
  272     Trinseo SA     18,197  
  574     Tronox Ltd., Class A     11,876  
  206     UFP Technologies, Inc.*     5,480  
  60     United States Lime & Minerals, Inc.     4,797  
  48     US Concrete, Inc.*(a)     3,842  
  1,488     Valhi, Inc.     3,244  

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   89


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

Schedule of Investments (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Materials – (continued)      
  152     Warrior Met Coal, Inc.   $ 4,148  
  170     Worthington Industries, Inc.     8,493  
   

 

 

 
      474,502  

 

 

 
Real Estate – 7.4%      
  170     Acadia Realty Trust REIT     4,877  
  120     Agree Realty Corp. REIT     6,014  
  326     Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.     14,148  
  12     Alexander’s, Inc. REIT     5,024  
  356     Altisource Portfolio Solutions SA*(a)     8,110  
  424     Altisource Residential Corp. REIT     5,135  
  128     American Assets Trust, Inc. REIT     5,199  
  224     Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc. REIT     2,995  
  792     Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. REIT     7,619  
  1,160     Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. REIT     7,204  
  242     Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. REIT     2,451  
  430     CareTrust REIT, Inc. REIT     8,295  
  272     CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc., Class A REIT     3,136  
  1,252     CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. REIT(a)     10,016  
  1,408     Cedar Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     7,096  
  466     Chatham Lodging Trust REIT     9,450  
  248     City Office REIT, Inc. REIT     3,172  
  212     Clipper Realty, Inc. REIT(a)     2,366  
  170     Community Healthcare Trust, Inc. REIT     4,515  
  108     Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co.     5,983  
  188     CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust, Inc. REIT     6,134  
  2,720     Cousins Properties, Inc. REIT     25,432  
  1,366     DiamondRock Hospitality Co. REIT     15,012  
  242     Easterly Government Properties, Inc. REIT     4,855  
  152     EastGroup Properties, Inc. REIT     13,507  
  140     Education Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     5,410  
  296     Farmland Partners, Inc. REIT(a)     2,623  
  810     FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc. REIT     5,913  
  490     First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     15,180  
  816     First Potomac Realty Trust REIT     9,082  
  514     Forestar Group, Inc.*(a)     8,841  
  394     Four Corners Property Trust, Inc. REIT     10,012  
  400     Franklin Street Properties Corp. REIT     3,988  
  108     FRP Holdings, Inc.*     4,741  
  586     GEO Group, Inc. (The) REIT     16,197  
  248     Getty Realty Corp. REIT     6,835  
  278     Gladstone Commercial Corp. REIT     5,949  
  254     Global Medical REIT, Inc. REIT(a)     2,146  
  158     Global Net Lease, Inc. REIT     3,422  
  302     Government Properties Income Trust REIT     5,602  
  654     Gramercy Property Trust REIT     19,921  
  454     Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     15,109  
  386     Hersha Hospitality Trust REIT     7,156  
  132     HFF, Inc., Class A     5,033  
  520     Independence Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     5,351  
  550     InfraREIT, Inc. REIT     12,369  
  400     Investors Real Estate Trust REIT     2,512  
  406     iStar, Inc. REIT*     4,714  
  188     Jernigan Capital, Inc. REIT     3,655  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Real Estate – (continued)      
  176     Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Inc.   3,397  
  520     Kite Realty Group Trust REIT     10,462  
  888     LaSalle Hotel Properties REIT     25,201  
  580     Lexington Realty Trust REIT     5,719  
  176     LTC Properties, Inc. REIT     8,559  
  448     Mack-Cali Realty Corp. REIT     10,255  
  508     Marcus & Millichap, Inc.*     13,376  
  218     Maui Land & Pineapple Co., Inc.*     2,812  
  248     MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc. REIT     2,845  
  412     Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corp. REIT     6,695  
  738     Monogram Residential Trust, Inc. REIT     8,856  
  176     National Health Investors, Inc. REIT     14,112  
  514     National Storage Affiliates Trust REIT     11,472  
  598     New Senior Investment Group, Inc. REIT     5,520  
  206     NexPoint Residential Trust, Inc. REIT     4,800  
  394     NorthStar Realty Europe Corp. REIT     4,897  
  128     One Liberty Properties, Inc. REIT     3,073  
  212     Parkway, Inc. REIT     4,868  
  288     Pebblebrook Hotel Trust REIT(a)     9,674  
  822     Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust REIT     8,245  
  574     Physicians Realty Trust REIT     10,751  
  362     Potlatch Corp. REIT     17,304  
  400     Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc., Class A REIT     7,276  
  102     PS Business Parks, Inc. REIT     13,781  
  164     QTS Realty Trust, Inc., Class A REIT     8,886  
  816     Quality Care Properties, Inc. REIT*     11,196  
  2,902     RAIT Financial Trust REIT     2,401  
  696     Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust REIT     9,152  
  308     RE/MAX Holdings, Inc., Class A     18,865  
  230     Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. REIT     4,563  
  320     Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. REIT     9,616  
  726     RLJ Lodging Trust REIT     14,651  
  224     RMR Group, Inc. (The), Class A     11,570  
  272     Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. REIT     16,162  
  1,098     Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. REIT     23,991  
  54     Saul Centers, Inc. REIT     3,272  
  278     Select Income REIT     6,452  
  176     Seritage Growth Properties, Class A REIT     8,459  
  170     St Joe Co. (The)*     3,204  
  356     STAG Industrial, Inc. REIT     9,964  
  550     Starwood Waypoint Homes REIT     20,477  
  920     Summit Hotel Properties, Inc. REIT     13,653  
  1,692     Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. REIT     26,734  
  108     Tejon Ranch Co.*     2,158  
  266     Terreno Realty Corp. REIT     9,643  
  332     Tier REIT, Inc. REIT     6,112  
  320     UMH Properties, Inc. REIT     5,062  
  84     Universal Health Realty Income Trust REIT     6,360  
  356     Urban Edge Properties REIT     8,953  
  164     Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc., Class A REIT     3,392  
  1,118     Washington Prime Group, Inc. REIT     9,335  

 

 

 

 

90   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF

 

    
Shares
    Description   Value  
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Real Estate – (continued)      
  302     Washington Real Estate Investment Trust REIT   $ 9,924  
  212     Whitestone REIT     2,658  
  646     Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. REIT     12,894  
   

 

 

 
      883,215  

 

 

 
Telecommunication Services – 0.9%      
  36     ATN International, Inc.     2,181  
  266     Boingo Wireless, Inc.*     5,477  
  266     Cincinnati Bell, Inc.*     5,599  
  164     Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc.     7,642  
  532     Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc.     9,815  
  282     Frontier Communications Corp.     3,799  
  84     General Communication, Inc., Class A*     3,623  
  1,124     Globalstar, Inc.*     2,158  
  188     Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc.*     5,719  
  550     IDT Corp., Class B     8,090  
  224     Iridium Communications, Inc.*(a)     2,486  
  132     Lumos Networks Corp.*     2,373  
  296     Ooma, Inc.*     2,901  
  230     ORBCOMM, Inc.*     2,544  
  72     Shenandoah Telecommunications Co.     2,596  
  332     Spok Holdings, Inc.     5,561  
  24     Straight Path Communications, Inc., Class B*     4,284  
  3,132     Vonage Holdings Corp.*     25,996  
  544     Windstream Holdings, Inc.(a)     1,126  
   

 

 

 
      103,970  

 

 

 
Utilities – 4.3%      
  332     ALLETE, Inc.     25,673  
  272     American States Water Co.     13,410  
  356     AquaVenture Holdings Ltd.*     5,397  
  78     Artesian Resources Corp., Class A     2,893  
  3,628     Atlantic Power Corp.*     8,889  
  394     Avista Corp.     20,252  
  308     Black Hills Corp.     21,677  
  248     Cadiz, Inc.*(a)     3,026  
  200     California Water Service Group     7,490  
  108     Chesapeake Utilities Corp.     8,581  
  54     Connecticut Water Service, Inc.     2,929  
  460     Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (Cayman Islands)     5,497  
  96     Delta Natural Gas Co, Inc.     2,941  
  1,656     Dynegy, Inc.*     15,599  
  248     El Paso Electric Co.     13,776  
  430     Genie Energy Ltd., Class B     2,644  
  290     IDACORP, Inc.     25,804  
  218     MGE Energy, Inc.     13,865  
  60     Middlesex Water Co.     2,279  
  442     New Jersey Resources Corp.     19,293  
  152     Northwest Natural Gas Co.     10,078  
  290     NorthWestern Corp.     17,493  
  840     NRG Yield, Inc., Class A     15,280  
  980     NRG Yield, Inc., Class C     18,130  

 

 

 
Common Stocks – (continued)  
Utilities – (continued)      
  302     ONE Gas, Inc.   22,722  
  296     Ormat Technologies, Inc.     17,002  
  260     Otter Tail Corp.     10,868  
  442     Pattern Energy Group, Inc.     11,103  
  502     PNM Resources, Inc.     21,285  
  556     Portland General Electric Co.     26,416  
  466     Pure Cycle Corp.*     3,378  
  158     RGC Resources, Inc.(a)     4,353  
  114     SJW Group     6,327  
  418     South Jersey Industries, Inc.     14,998  
  290     Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.     23,061  
  368     Spark Energy, Inc., Class A     5,833  
  266     Spire, Inc.     20,349  
  490     TerraForm Global, Inc., Class A*     2,474  
  320     TerraForm Power, Inc., Class A*     4,467  
  146     Unitil Corp.     7,280  
  266     WGL Holdings, Inc.     22,413  
  114     York Water Co. (The)     3,751  
   

 

 

 
      510,976  

 

 

 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITIES LENDING
REINVESTMENT VEHICLE
 
 
  (Cost $12,033,430)   $ 11,833,064  

 

 

 

 

Shares   Distribution
rate
  Value  
Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle – 5.4%(b)  

Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund – Institutional Shares

 

649,189   0.93%   $ 649,189  
(Cost $649,189)  

 

 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 104.9%  
(Cost $12,682,619)   $ 12,482,253  

 

 
LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF     OTHER ASSETS – (4.9)%     (586,323

 

 
NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 11,895,930  

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Security is currently in default and/or non-income producing..

(a)

  All or a portion of security is on loan.

(b)

  Represents an affiliated issuer.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

REIT

 

—Real Estate Investment Trust

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   91


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

August 31, 2017

 

        ActiveBeta®
Emerging Markets
Equity ETF
 
  Assets:  
 

Investments at value (cost $1,194,278,800, $38,223,602, $521,079,126, $36,662,241, $2,148,085,760 and $12,033,430, respectively)(a)

  $ 1,485,722,313  
 

Investments in securities lending reinvestment vehicle, at value (cost $26,893,134, $90,063, $6,961,512, $288,307, $3,705,216, $649,189)

    26,893,134  
 

Cash

     
 

Foreign currency, at value (cost $350,025, $13, $59,590, $2,507, $— and $—, respectively)

    350,839  
 

Receivables:

 
 

Fund shares sold

    134,286,289  
 

Investments sold

    208,286,999  
 

Dividends and Interest

    2,939,898  

Due from broker

      5,518,275  
 

Foreign tax reclaims

    47,117  
 

Securities lending income

    11,736  
 

Receivable from custodian

     
 

Reimbursement from advisor

    216,981  
 

Other assets

    24,510  
  Total assets     1,864,298,091  
   
  Liabilities:  
 

Due to custodian

    592,377  
 

Payable upon return of securities loaned

    26,893,134  
 

Payables:

 
 

Investments purchased

    210,128,717  
 

Fund shares redeemed

    134,905,814  
 

Management fees

    495,990  
 

Foreign capital gains tax

    387,231  
 

Trustee fee

    10,665  
 

Accrued expenses

    201,381  
  Total liabilities     373,615,309  
   
  Net Assets:  
 

Paid-in capital

    1,204,591,018  
 

Undistributed (distributions in excess of) net investment income

    9,818,288  
 

Accumulated net realized gain (loss)

    (14,796,314
 

Net unrealized gain (loss)

    291,069,790  
  NET ASSETS   $ 1,490,682,782  
  SHARES ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING  
 

Shares outstanding no par value (unlimited shares authorized):

    44,200,000  
 

Net asset value per share:

    $33.73  
 

(a) Includes loaned securities having a market value:

  $ 25,941,618  

 

92   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

    ActiveBeta®
Europe Equity
ETF
        ActiveBeta®
International
Equity ETF
        ActiveBeta®
Japan
Equity ETF
        ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
        ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF
 
                 
  $ 43,900,128       $ 591,486,119       $ 42,788,262       $ 2,383,813,570       $ 11,833,064  
    90,063         6,961,512         288,307         3,705,216         649,189  
    52,356         530,380         131,727         7,791,695         54,090  
    14         59,669         2,507                  
                 
                            2,457,813          
    611         22,725,543                          
    79,011         1,159,892         53,478         5,049,337         9,134  
                                     
    38,268         221,041         4,044                  
    315         7,648         716         1,100         1,637  
            13,929         13,581                  
            5,186         5,070                  
                                             
    44,160,766           623,170,919           43,287,692           2,402,818,731           12,547,114  
                 
                 
                                     
    90,063         6,961,512         288,307         3,705,216         649,189  
                 
            22,958,039         34         2,443,670          
                                     
    8,262         122,837         7,753         179,493         1,995  
                                     
                                     
                                             
    98,325           30,042,388           296,094           6,328,379           651,184  
                 
                 
    38,352,955         523,336,071         36,959,862         2,168,365,201         12,076,307  
    138,949         1,931,703         (85,057       9,973,553         19,762  
    (108,039       (2,566,928       (9,638       (17,576,212       227  
    5,678,576           70,427,685           6,126,431           235,727,810           (200,366
  $ 44,062,441         $ 593,128,531         $ 42,991,598         $ 2,396,490,352         $ 11,895,930  
                 
    1,450,000         20,900,000         1,400,000         48,752,500         300,000  
  $ 30.39         $ 28.38         $ 30.71         $ 49.16         $ 39.65  
  $ 88,340       $ 6,650,091       $ 274,708       $ 3,574,887       $ 625,755  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   93


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

Statements of Operations

For the Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2017

 

        ActiveBeta®
Emerging Markets
Equity ETF
 
  Investment income:  
 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $3,883,699, $129,776, $1,309,032, $88,858, $1,492 and $—, respectively)

  $ 27,865,231  
 

Securities lending income

    131,788  
  Total investment income     27,997,019  
   
  Expenses:  
 

Management fees

    4,342,167  
 

Custody, accounting and administrative services

    825,764  
 

Professional fees

    160,457  
 

Registration fees

    136,856  
 

Trustee fees

    63,196  
 

Printing and mailing cost

    41,205  
 

Amortization of offering costs

    11,606  
 

Other

    100,279  
  Total expenses     5,681,530  
 

Less — expense reductions

    (797,950
  Net expenses     4,883,580  
  NET INVESTMENT INCOME     23,113,439  
   
  Realized and unrealized gain (loss):  
 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 
 

Investments

    (230,519
 

In-kind redemptions

    28,044,456  
 

Futures

    262,345  
 

Foreign currency transactions

    (693,569
 

Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on:

 
 

Investments (including the effects of the foreign capital gains tax liability of $367,447, $—, $—, $—, $— and $—, respectively)

    191,695,541  
 

Foreign currency translations

    6,031  
  Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)     219,084,285  
  NET INCREASE (LOSS) IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS     242,197,724  

 

  (1)   For the period June 28, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

94   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

    ActiveBeta®
Europe
Equity ETF
        ActiveBeta®
International
Equity ETF
        ActiveBeta®
Japan Equity
ETF
        ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
        ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF(1)
 
                 
  $ 1,014,378       $ 11,695,969       $ 678,156       $ 36,030,238       $ 20,989  
    7,922           101,383           4,174           44,663           2,909  
    1,022,300           11,797,352           682,330           36,074,901           23,898  
                 
                 
    49,835         975,355         52,004         1,422,205         3,236  
                                     
                                     
                                     
    36,464         44,266         36,469         75,823         900  
                                     
                                     
    70           537                                
    86,369           1,020,158           88,473           1,498,028           4,136  
                                             
    86,369           1,020,158           88,473           1,498,028           4,136  
    935,931           10,777,194           593,857           34,576,873           19,762  
                 
                 
                 
    11,402         (1,152,007       1,599         (14,119,857       227  
    347,600                         7,971,989          
                                     
    1,988         (64,672       (27,569                
                 
    4,558,093         62,973,180         4,327,725         196,569,414         (200,366
    3,630           25,096           654                      
    4,922,713           61,781,597           4,302,409           190,421,546           (200,139
    5,858,644           72,558,791           4,896,266           224,998,419           (180,377

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   95


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

 

        ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF           ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF  
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
          For the period
September 25, 2015(1)
through
August 31, 2016
          Year ended
August 31, 2017
          For the period
March 2, 2016(1)
through
August 31, 2016
 
  From operations:              
 

Net investment income

  $ 23,113,439       $ 12,789,859       $ 935,931       $ 758,202  
 

Net realized gain (loss)

    27,382,713         (15,054,297       360,990         (137,683
 

Net change in unrealized gain

    191,701,572               99,368,218               4,561,723               1,116,853  
  Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations     242,197,724               97,103,780               5,858,644               1,737,372  
               
  Distributions to shareholders:              
 

From net investment income

    (18,216,894             (7,161,211             (931,065             (624,546
  Total distributions to shareholders     (18,216,894             (7,161,211             (931,065             (624,546
               
  From share transactions:              
 

Proceeds from sales of shares

    538,219,705         773,445,492         10,463,180         32,846,660  
 

Cost of shares redeemed

    (134,905,814                           (5,287,804              
  Net increase in net assets resulting from share transactions     403,313,891               773,445,492               5,175,376               32,846,660  
  TOTAL INCREASE     627,294,721               863,388,061               10,102,955               33,959,486  
               
  Net assets:              
 

Beginning of period

  $ 863,388,061             $             $ 33,959,486             $  
 

End of period

  $ 1,490,682,782             $ 863,388,061             $ 44,062,441             $ 33,959,486  
  Undistributed (distributions in excess of) net investment income   $ 9,818,288             $ 5,548,952             $ 138,949             $ 126,865  

 

  (1)   Commencement of operations

 

96   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

    ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF         ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF         ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF         ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF  
    Year ended
August 31, 2017
        For the period
November 6, 2015(1)
through
August 31, 2016
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
        For the period
March 2, 2016(1) to
August 31, 2016
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
        For the period
September 17, 2015(1)
through
August 31, 2016
        For the period
June 28, 2017(1)
through
August 31, 2017
 
                         
  $ 10,777,194       $ 2,853,601       $ 593,857       $ 285,470       $ 34,576,873       $ 8,449,262       $ 19,762  
    (1,216,679       (1,407,997       (25,970       6,953         (6,147,868       462,725         227  
    62,998,276           7,429,409           4,328,379           1,798,052           196,569,414           39,158,396           (200,366
    72,558,791           8,875,013           4,896,266           2,090,475           224,998,419           48,070,383           (180,377
                         
                         
    (9,649,669         (1,996,958         (721,272         (235,644         (28,028,221         (5,154,092          
    (9,649,669         (1,996,958         (721,272         (235,644         (28,028,221         (5,154,092          
                         
                         
    246,462,159         276,879,195         6,019,256         30,942,517         1,088,221,008         1,168,663,742         12,076,307  
                                            (45,906,935         (54,473,952          
    246,462,159           276,879,195           6,019,256           30,942,517           1,042,314,073           1,114,189,790           12,076,307  
    309,371,281           283,757,250           10,194,250           32,797,348           1,239,284,271           1,157,106,081           11,895,930  
                         
                         
  $ 283,757,250         $         $ 32,797,348         $         $ 1,157,206,081         $ 100,000         $  
  $ 593,128,531         $ 283,757,250         $ 42,991,598         $ 32,797,348         $ 2,396,490,352         $ 1,157,206,081         $ 11,895,930  
  $ 1,931,703         $ 863,433         $ (85,057       $ 69,454         $ 9,973,553         $ 3,312,092         $ 19,762  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   97


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

Financial Highlights

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

        ActiveBeta®
Emerging Markets Equity ETF
 
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
    For the period
September 25, 2015*
through
August 31, 2016
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:    
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 28.03     $ 25.00  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.63       0.60  
 

Net realized and unrealized gain

    5.58       2.70  
 

Total gain from investment operations

    6.21       3.30  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.51     (0.27
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 33.73     $ 28.03  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 33.74     $ 28.01  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     22.49     13.29
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 1,490,683     $ 863,388  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.45     0.45 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.53     0.58 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    2.13     2.52 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    27     44

 

   *   Commencement of operations
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

98   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

        ActiveBeta®
Europe Equity ETF
 
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
   

For the period
March 2, 2016*
through

August 31, 2016

 
  Per Share Operating Performance:    
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 26.12     $ 25.03  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.75       0.60  
 

Net realized and unrealized gain

    4.26       0.97  
 

Total gain from investment operations

    5.01       1.57  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.74     (0.48
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 30.39     $ 26.12  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 30.54     $ 26.20  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     19.46     6.23
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 44,062     $ 33,959  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.25     0.25 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.25     0.71 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    2.71     4.61 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    17     14

 

   *   Commencement of operations
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   99


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

        ActiveBeta®
International Equity ETF
 
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
    For the period
November 6, 2015*
to
August 31, 2016
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:    
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 24.67     $ 24.78  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.69       0.59  
 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    3.61       (0.37
 

Total gain from investment operations

    4.30       0.22  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.59     (0.33
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 28.38     $ 24.67  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 28.53     $ 24.78  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     17.66     0.90
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 593,129     $ 283,757  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.25     0.27 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.25     0.62 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    2.64     3.02 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    23     23

 

   *   Commencement of operations
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

100   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

        ActiveBeta®
Japan Equity ETF
 
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
   

For the period
March 2, 2016*

to
August 31, 2016

 
  Per Share Operating Performance:    
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 27.33     $ 25.69  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.48       0.24  
 

Net realized and unrealized gain

    3.50       1.60  
 

Total gain from investment operations

    3.98       1.84  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.60     (0.20
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 30.71     $ 27.33  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 30.79     $ 27.44  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     14.74     7.17
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 42,992     $ 32,797  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.25     0.25 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.25     0.73 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    1.68     1.81 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    22     10

 

   *   Commencement of operations
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   101


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

Financial Highlights (continued)

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

        ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
 
        Year ended
August 31, 2017
    For the period
September 17, 2015*
through
August 31, 2016
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:    
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 43.83     $ 40.70  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.97       0.85  
 

Net realized and unrealized gain

    5.17       2.78  
 

Total gain from investment operations

    6.14       3.63  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.81     (0.50
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 49.16     $ 43.83  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 49.15     $ 43.82  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     14.15     8.97
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 2,396,490     $ 1,157,206  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.09     0.09 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.09     0.19 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    2.08     2.11 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    20     18

 

   *   Commencement of operations
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

102   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ACTIVEBETA® ETFS

 

        ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
 
        For the period
June 28, 2017*
through
August 31, 2017
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:  
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 40.36  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.07  
 

Net realized and unrealized loss

    (0.78
 

Total loss from investment operations

    (0.71
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 39.65  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 38.95  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     (1.76 )% 
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 11,896  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.20 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.20 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    0.96 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

    0 %(e) 

 

   *   Commencement of operations
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the year. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
  (e)   Less than 0.5%.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   103


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements

August 31, 2017

 

1. ORGANIZATION

 

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”) is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), consisting of multiple series. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 2009. The following table lists those series of the Trust that are included in this report (collectively, the “Funds” or individually a “Fund”) along with their respective diversification status under the Act:

 

Fund            Diversification
Classification

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (“ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF”)

          Diversified

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF (“ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF”)

          Diversified

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF (“ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF”)

          Diversified

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF (“ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF”)

          Diversified

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (“ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF”)

          Diversified

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (“ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF”)

          Diversified

The investment objective of each Fund is to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of its respective Index.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (formerly, Goldman, Sachs & Co.) (“Goldman Sachs”), serves as investment adviser to the Funds pursuant to management agreements (each, an “Agreement”) with the Trust. Each Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Shares of the Funds are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). Market prices for the Funds’ shares may be different from their net asset value (“NAV”). The Funds issue and redeem shares at their respective NAV only in blocks of a specified number of shares, or multiples thereof, referred to as “Creation Units”. Creation Units are issued and redeemed principally in-kind for a basket of securities and a cash amount, with respect to the ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and the ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF. The ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF issues and redeems Creation Units partially for cash and partially in-kind. Shares generally trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit at market prices that change throughout the day. Only those that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) may do business directly with the Funds.

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and require management to make estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.

A.  Investment Valuation — The Funds’ valuation policy is to value investments at fair value.

B.  Investment Income and Investments — Investment income includes interest income, dividend income, and securities lending income. Interest income is accrued daily and adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Dividend income is recognized on ex-dividend date or, for certain foreign securities, as soon as such information is obtained subsequent to the ex-dividend date. Investment transactions are reflected on trade date. Realized gains and losses are calculated using identified cost. Investment transactions are recorded on the following business day for daily NAV calculations. Investment income is recorded net of any foreign withholding taxes, less any amounts reclaimable. The Funds may file withholding tax reclaims in certain jurisdictions to recover a portion of amounts previously withheld. Any foreign capital gains tax is accrued daily based upon net unrealized gains, and is payable upon sale of such investments.

 

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2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

C.  Expenses — Expenses incurred directly by a Fund are charged to the Fund, and certain expenses incurred by the Trust are allocated across the applicable Funds on a straight-line and/or pro-rata basis, depending upon the nature of the expenses, and are accrued daily.

D.  Offering Costs — Offering costs paid in connection with the offering of shares of the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF were amortized on a straight-line basis over 12 months from the date of commencement of operations.

E.  Federal Taxes and Distributions to Shareholders — It is each Fund’s policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies (mutual funds) and to distribute each year substantially all of its investment company taxable income and capital gains to its shareholders. Accordingly, the Funds are not required to make any provisions for the payment of federal income tax. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. For each fund, income distributions, if any, are declared and paid quarterly. Capital gains distributions, if any, are declared and paid annually.

Net capital losses, if any, are carried forward to future fiscal years and may be used to the extent allowed by the Code to offset any future capital gains. Losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. Utilization of capital loss carryforwards will reduce the requirement of future capital gains distributions.

The characterization of distributions to shareholders for financial reporting purposes is determined in accordance with federal income tax rules, which may differ from GAAP. The source of the Fund’s distributions may be shown in the accompanying financial statements as either from net investment income, net realized gain or capital. Certain components of the Funds’ net assets on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities reflect permanent GAAP/tax differences based on the appropriate tax character.

F.  Foreign Currency Translation — The accounting records and reporting currency of the Funds are maintained in U.S. dollars. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rates at the close of each business day. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on investments is included within net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments. Changes in the value of other assets and liabilities as a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates are included in the Statements of Operations within net change in unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency translations. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars on the date the transaction occurred, the effects of which are included within net realized gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions.

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

U.S. GAAP defines the fair value of a financial instrument as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price); the Funds’ policy is to use the market approach. GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The levels used for classifying investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in these investments. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

Level 2 — Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, volatility and credit spreads), either directly or indirectly;

Level 3 — Prices or valuations that require significant unobservable inputs (including GSAM’s assumptions in determining fair value measurement).

 

105


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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the hierarchy. In accordance with the Funds’ policy, transfers between different levels of the fair value hierarchy resulting from such changes are deemed to have occurred as of the beginning of the reporting period.

The Board of Trustees (“Trustees”) has approved Valuation Procedures that govern the valuation of the portfolio investments held by the Funds, including investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Trustees have delegated to GSAM day-to-day responsibility for implementing and maintaining internal controls and procedures related to the valuation of the Funds’ investments. To assess the continuing appropriateness of pricing sources and methodologies, GSAM regularly performs price verification procedures and issues challenges as necessary to third party pricing vendors or brokers, and any differences are reviewed in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

A.  Level 1 and Level 2 Fair Value Investments — The valuation techniques and significant inputs used in determining the fair values for investments classified as Level 1 and Level 2 are as follows:

Equity Securities — Equity securities traded on a United States (“U.S.”) securities exchange or the NASDAQ system, or those located on certain foreign exchanges, including but not limited to the Americas, are valued daily at their last sale price or official closing price on the principal exchange or system on which they are traded. If there is no sale or official closing price or such price is believed by GSAM to not represent fair value, equity securities are valued at the last bid price for long positions. To the extent these investments are actively traded, they are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy, otherwise they are generally classified as Level 2.

Unlisted equity securities for which market quotations are available are valued at the last sale price on the valuation date, or if no sale occurs, at the last bid price. These investments are generally classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Exchange Traded Funds — Investments in ETFs are valued daily at the last sale price or official closing price on the principal exchange or system on which the investment is traded. To the extent these investments are actively traded, they are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy, otherwise they are generally classified as Level 2. For information regarding an ETF’s accounting policies and investment holdings, please see the ETF’s shareholder report.

Money Market Funds — Investments in the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund (“Underlying Fund”) are valued at the NAV of the Institutional Share class on the day of valuation. These investments are generally classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. For information regarding an Underlying Fund’s accounting policies and investment holdings, please see the Underlying Fund’s shareholder report.

Derivative Contracts — A derivative is an instrument whose value is derived from underlying assets, indices, reference rates or a combination of these factors. A Fund enters into derivative transactions to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices, and/or currency exchange rates, to increase total return, or to gain access to certain markets or attain exposure to other underliers.

Exchange-traded derivatives, including futures and options contracts, are valued at the last sale or settlement price and typically fall within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) and centrally cleared derivatives are valued using market transactions and other market evidence, including market-based inputs to models, calibration to market-clearing transactions, broker or dealer quotations, or other alternative pricing sources. Where models are used, the selection of a particular model to value OTC and centrally cleared derivatives depends upon the contractual terms of, and specific risks inherent in, the instrument, as well as the availability of pricing information in the market. Valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, yield curves, credit curves, measures of volatility, voluntary and involuntary prepayment rates, loss severity rates and correlations of such inputs. For OTC and centrally cleared derivatives that trade in liquid markets, model inputs can generally be verified and model selection does not involve significant management judgment. OTC and centrally cleared derivatives are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy when significant inputs are corroborated by market evidence.

 

i.  Futures Contracts — Futures contracts are contracts to buy or sell a standardized quantity of a specified commodity or security and are valued based on exchanged settlement prices or independent market quotes. Futures contracts are valued at the last settlement price, or in the absence of a sale, the last bid price for long positions and at the last ask price for short positions, at the end of each day on the board of trade or exchange upon which they are traded. Upon entering into a futures

 

106


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

contract, a Fund deposits cash or securities in an account on behalf of the broker in an amount sufficient to meet the initial margin requirement. Subsequent payments are made or received by a Fund equal to the daily change in the contract value and are recorded as variation margin receivable or payable with a corresponding offset to unrealized gains or losses. For financial reporting purposes, cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of a Fund and cash collateral received, if, any, is reported separately on the Statement[s] of Assets and Liabilities as receivables/payables for collateral on certain derivative contracts. Non-cash collateral pledged by a Fund, if any, is noted in the Schedules of Investments.

B.  Level 3 Fair Value Investments — To the extent that significant inputs to valuation models and other alternative pricing sources are unobservable, or if quotations are not readily available, or if GSAM believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Funds’ investments may be determined under Valuation Procedures approved by the Trustees. GSAM, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may make an adjustment to the most recent valuation prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining a Fund’s NAV. Significant events which could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions; or unscheduled market closings. Significant events which could also affect a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; ratings downgrades; and bankruptcies.

C.  Fair Value Hierarchy — The following is a summary of the Funds’ investments classified in the fair value hierarchy as of August 31, 2017:

ACTIVEBETA® EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

 

Africa

   $ 94,793,484        $ 4,325,560        $  

Asia

     1,095,014,509          32,408,210          211,569  

Europe

     41,978,147                    

North America

     55,308,495                    

South America

     117,218,409          44,463,930           

Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle

     26,893,134                    
Total    $ 1,431,206,178        $ 81,197,700        $ 211,569  
ACTIVEBETA® EUROPE EQUITY ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

 

Africa

   $ 177,676        $        $  

Europe

     42,730,289          280,511           

North America

     558,980                    

Oceania

     121,078                    

South America

     31,594                    

Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle

     90,063                    
Total    $ 43,709,680        $ 280,511        $  

 

107


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

ACTIVEBETA® INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

 

Africa

   $ 1,497,025        $        $  

Asia

     161,561,023                    

Europe

     332,441,875          2,490,013           

North America

     55,759,743                    

Oceania

     37,397,319                    

South America

     339,121                    

Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle

     6,961,512                    
Total    $ 595,957,618        $ 2,490,013        $  
ACTIVEBETA® JAPAN EQUITY ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

 

Asia

   $ 42,788,262        $         —        $         —  

Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle

     288,307                    
Total    $ 43,076,569        $        $  
ACTIVEBETA® U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

 

North America

   $ 2,383,813,570        $        $  

Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle

     3,705,216                    
Total    $ 2,387,518,786        $        $  
ACTIVEBETA® U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets             

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

 

Asia

   $ 8,038        $        $  

Europe

     32,592                    

North America

     11,792,434                    

Securities Lending Reinvestment Vehicle

     649,189                    
Total    $ 12,482,253        $        $  

 

(a)   Amounts are disclosed by continent to highlight the impact of time zone differences between local market close and the calculation of NAV. Security valuations are based on the principal exchange or system on which they are traded, which may differ from country of domicile noted in the table.

For further information regarding security characteristics, see the Schedules of Investments.

 

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4. INVESTMENTS IN DERIVATIVES

 

The following tables set forth, by certain risk types, the gross value of derivative contracts as of August 31, 2017. These instruments were used as part of a Fund’s investment strategies and to obtain and/or manage exposure related to the risks below. The values in the tables below exclude the effects of cash collateral received or posted pursuant to these derivative contracts, and therefore are not representative of a Fund’s net exposure.

At August 31, 2017 there were no open futures contracts.

The following tables set forth, by certain risk types, a Fund’s gains related to these derivatives and their indicative volumes for the year ended August 31, 2017. These gains should be considered in the context that these derivative contracts may have been executed to create investment opportunities and/or economically hedge certain investments, and accordingly, certain gains (losses) on such derivative contracts may offset certain (losses) gains attributable to investments. These gains are included in “Net realized gain (loss)” or “Net change in unrealized gain (loss)” on the Statement of Operations:

 

Fund    Risk    Statement of Operations   Net Realized
Gain
    Net Change in
Unrealized
Gain
    Average
Number of
Contracts(a)
 

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity  ETF

   Equity    Net realized gain (loss) from futures contracts/Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on futures contracts   $ 262,345     $        

 

(a)   Average number of contracts is based on the average of month end balances for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.

Collateral and margin requirements differ between exchange traded derivatives and OTC derivatives. Margin requirements are established by the broker or clearing house for exchange-traded and centrally cleared derivatives (financial futures contracts, options and centrally cleared swaps) pursuant to governing agreements for those instrument types. Brokers can ask for margin in excess of the minimum in certain circumstances. Collateral terms are contract-specific for OTC derivatives. Additionally, a Fund may be required to post initial margin to the counterparty, the terms of which would be outlined in the confirmation of the OTC transaction.

For financial reporting purposes, cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of a Fund and cash collateral received from the counterparty, if any, is reported separately on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as receivables/payables for collateral on certain derivative contracts. Non-cash collateral pledged by a Fund, if any, is noted in the Schedules of Investments. Generally, the amount of collateral due from or to a counterparty must exceed a minimum transfer amount threshold before a transfer is required to be made. To the extent amounts due to a Fund from its counterparties are not fully collateralized, contractually or otherwise, a Fund bears the risk of loss from counterparty nonperformance. A Fund attempts to mitigate counterparty risk by only entering into agreements with counterparties that the Investment Adviser believes to be of good standing and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties.

Additionally, the netting of assets and liabilities and the offsetting of collateral pledged or received are based on contractual netting/set-off provisions in the master netting arrangement or similar agreements. However, in the event of a default or insolvency of a counterparty, a court could determine that such rights are not enforceable due to the restrictions or prohibitions against the right of setoff that may be imposed in accordance with a particular jurisdiction’s bankruptcy or insolvency laws.

As of August 31, 2017 the Funds did not hold any net exposure for derivative instruments.

 

5. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

A.  Management Agreement — Under the Agreement, GSAM manages the Funds, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees.

As compensation for the services rendered pursuant to the Agreement, the assumption of the expenses related thereto and administration of the Funds’ business affairs, including providing facilities, GSAM is entitled to a management fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, equal to an annual percentage rate of each Fund’s average daily net assets.

For each Fund except the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, the Funds operate under a unitary management fee structure. Under the unitary fee structure, GSAM is responsible for paying substantially all the expenses of each such Fund, excluding payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses. As the Funds directly pay fees and

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

5. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS (continued)

 

expenses of the independent Trustees, the management fee collected by GSAM will be reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the Funds to the independent Trustees.

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, unitary management fees with GSAM were at the following rates for all Funds except the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF:

 

Fund                  

Unitary

Management Fee

 

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

                    0.25

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

                    0.25

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

                    0.25

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity  ETF

                    0.09

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

                    0.20

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, contractual and effective net management fees with GSAM were at the following rate for the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF:

 

Fund                   Contractual and Effective Net
Management Fee
 

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF

                    0.40

B.  Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plans — The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”), subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the Plan, the Funds are authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of each Fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by any Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees.

C.  Other Expense Agreements and Affiliated Transactions — GSAM has agreed to limit certain “Other Expenses” of the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses) to the extent such expenses exceed, on an annual basis, a percentage rate of the average daily net assets of the Fund. Such Other Expense reimbursements, if any, are accrued daily and paid monthly. In addition, the Funds are not obligated to reimburse GSAM for prior fiscal year expense reimbursements, if any. The Other Expense limitation as an annual percentage rate of average daily net assets for the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF is 0.05%. This Other Expense limitation will remain in effect permanently and GSAM may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Trustees.

For the year ended August 31, 2017, these expense reductions, including any fee waivers and Other Expense reimbursements amounted to $797,950.

 

6. CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

The Trust issues and redeems shares of the Funds only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without an initial sales load, at NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined in the Statement of Additional Information), of an order in proper form. Shares of the Funds may only be purchased or redeemed by certain financial institutions (each an “Authorized Participant”). An Authorized Participant is either (1) a “Participating Party” or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation; or (2) a Depository Trust Company participant; which, in either case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor. Retail investors will typically not qualify as an Authorized Participant or have the resources to buy and sell whole Creation Units. Therefore, they will be unable to purchase or redeem the shares directly from the Funds. Rather, most retail investors will purchase

 

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6. CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS (continued)

 

shares in the secondary market at market prices with the assistance of a broker and may be subject to customary brokerage commissions or fees. Fixed creation and redemption transaction fees are imposed in connection with creations and redemptions.

Authorized Participants transacting in Creation Units for cash may also pay a variable charge to compensate the relevant fund for certain transaction costs (e.g. taxes on currency or other financial transactions, and brokerage costs) and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolio securities. Such variable charges, if any, are included in “Proceeds from sale of shares” in the Statements of Changes in Net Assets.

Share activity is as follows:

 

    ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF  
    

For the Fiscal Year Ended

August 31, 2017

    

For the period

September 25, 2015* through
August 31, 2016

 

Shares Sold

    17,400,000     $ 537,396,840        30,800,000     $ 773,445,492  

Shares Redeemed

    (4,000,000     (134,905,814             

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

    13,400,000     $ 402,491,026        30,800,000     $ 773,445,492  
    ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF  
     For the Fiscal Year Ended
August 31, 2017
    

For the period

March 2, 2016* through

August 31, 2016

 

Shares Sold

    350,000     $ 10,463,180        1,300,000     $ 32,846,660  

Shares Redeemed

    (200,000     (5,287,804             

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

    150,000     $ 5,175,376        1,300,000     $ 32,846,660  
    ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF  
     For the Fiscal Year Ended
August 31, 2017
    

For the period

November 6, 2015* to

August 31, 2016

 

Shares Sold

    9,400,000     $ 246,447,741        11,500,000     $ 276,879,195  

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

    9,400,000     $ 246,447,741        11,500,000     $ 276,879,195  
    ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF  
     For the Fiscal Year Ended
August 31, 2017
    

For the period

March 2, 2016* to

August 31, 2016

 

Shares Sold

    200,000     $ 6,019,256        1,200,000     $ 30,942,517  

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

    200,000     $ 6,019,256        1,200,000     $ 30,942,517  
    ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF  
     For the Fiscal Year Ended
August 31, 2017
    

For the period

September 17, 2015* through

August 31, 2016

 

Shares Sold

    23,400,000     $ 1,088,220,664        27,750,000     $ 1,168,663,742  

Shares Redeemed

    (1,050,000     (45,906,935      (1,350,000     (54,473,952

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

    22,350,000     $ 1,042,313,729        26,400,000     $ 1,114,189,790  

 

111


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

6. CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS (continued)

 

 

     ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF  
     

For the period

June 28, 2017* through

August 31, 2017

 

Shares Sold

                         300,000      $ 12,076,307  

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

     300,000      $ 12,076,307  

 

*   Commencement of operation.

 

7. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of long-term securities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity  ETF

       $ 668,961,706        $ 292,564,192  

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

         5,936,525          5,977,434  

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

         97,796,596          93,586,424  

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

         7,738,806          7,987,564  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity  ETF

         331,768,062          328,537,490  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

         45,913          62,494  

The purchase and sales from in-kind creation and redemption transactions for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity  ETF

       $ 158,310,351        $ 131,198,038  

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

         10,412,272          5,264,873  

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

         243,113,290           

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

         6,006,401           

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity  ETF

         1,083,623,241          45,506,286  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

         12,052,304           

 

8. SECURITIES LENDING

The ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and the ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, may lend their securities through a securities lending agent, the Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”), to certain qualified borrowers. In accordance with the Funds’ securities lending procedures, the Funds receive cash collateral at least equal to the market value of the securities on loan. The market value of the loaned securities is determined at the close of business of the Funds, at their last sale price or official closing price on the principal exchange or system on which they are traded, and any additional required collateral is delivered to the Funds on the next business day. As with other extensions of credit, the Funds may experience

 

112


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

8. SECURITIES LENDING (continued)

 

delay in the recovery of their securities or incur a loss should the borrower of the securities breach its agreement with the Funds or become insolvent at a time when the collateral is insufficient to cover the cost of repurchasing securities on loan. Dividend income received from securities on loan may not be subject to withholding taxes and therefore withholding taxes paid may differ from the amounts listed in the Statements of Operations. Loans of securities are terminable at any time and as such 1) the remaining contractual maturities of the outstanding securities lending transactions are considered to be overnight and continuous and 2) the borrower, after notice, is required to return borrowed securities within the standard time period for settlement of securities transactions.

Effective December 1, 2016 the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, the ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF and the ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF with the exception of the ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, which started on June 28, 2017, began lending their securities and invest the cash collateral received in connection with securities lending transactions in the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund (“Government Money Market Fund”), an affiliated series of the Trust.

The Government Money Market Fund is registered under the Act as an open end investment company, is subject to Rule 2a-7 under the Act, and is managed by GSAM, for which GSAM may receive a management fee of up to 0.205% on an annualized basis of the average daily net assets of the Government Money Market Fund.

In the event of a default by a borrower with respect to any loan, BNYM may exercise any and all remedies provided under the applicable borrower agreement to make the Funds whole. These remedies include purchasing replacement securities by applying the collateral held from the defaulting broker against the purchase cost of the replacement securities. If BNYM is unable to purchase replacement securities, BNYM will indemnify the Funds by paying the Funds an amount equal to the market value of the securities loaned minus the value of cash collateral received from the borrower for the loan, subject to an exclusion for any shortfalls resulting from a loss of value in such cash collateral due to reinvestment risk. The Funds’ loaned securities were all subject to enforceable Securities Lending Agreements, and the value of the collateral was at least equal to the value of the cash received. The amounts of the Funds’ overnight and continuous agreements which represent the gross amounts of recognized liabilities for securities lending transactions outstanding as of August 31, 2017 are disclosed as “Payable upon return of securities loaned” on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

Both the Funds and BNYM received compensation relating to the lending of the Funds’ securities. The amounts earned, if any, by the Funds for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, are reported under Investment Income on the Statements of Operations.

The following table provides information about the Funds’ investment in the Goldman Sachs Financial Square Government Fund for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017:

 

Fund        Beginning value as
of August 31, 2016
    Purchases at
Cost
    Proceeds
from Sales
    Ending value as
of August 31, 2017
    Shares as of
August 31, 2017
    Dividend
Income
 

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity  ETF

      $     $ 146,417,056     $ 119,523,922     $ 26,893,134       26,893,134     $ 131,788  

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

              9,477,998       9,387,935       90,063       90,063       7,922  

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

              77,796,496       70,834,984       6,961,512       6,961,512       101,383  

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

              1,589,524       1,301,217       288,307       288,307       4,174  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

              75,477,243       71,772,027       3,705,216       3,705,216       44,663  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF*

              1,319,426       670,237       649,189       649,189       2,909  

 

*   Commencement of operations, June 28, 2017.

 

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GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

9. TAX INFORMATION

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017 was as follows:

 

      ActiveBeta®
Emerging
Markets
Equity ETF
       ActiveBeta®
Europe
Equity ETF
       ActiveBeta®
International
Equity ETF
       ActiveBeta®
Japan
Equity ETF
       ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF
 

Distributions paid from:

                         

Ordinary Income

   $ 18,216,894        $ 931,065        $ 9,649,669        $ 721,272        $ 28,028,221         

Total taxable distributions

   $ 18,216,894        $ 931,065        $ 9,649,669        $ 721,272        $ 28,028,221         

 

As of August 31, 2017, the components of accumulated earnings (losses) on a tax-basis were as follows:

 

      ActiveBeta®
Emerging
Markets
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
Europe
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
International
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
Japan
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF
 

Undistributed ordinary income — net

   $ 11,332,449      $ 239,460      $ 3,480,218      $      $ 9,973,553      $ 19,765  

Undistributed long-term capital gains

                                        311  

Total undistributed earnings

   $ 11,332,449      $ 239,460      $ 3,480,218      $      $ 9,973,553      $ 20,076  

Capital loss carryforwards:

                 

Perpetual Short-Term

   $ (7,444,760    $      $ (144,209    $ (6,557    $ (691,783    $  

Timing differences (Post-October Capital Loss Deferral/Qualified Late Year Loss Deferral)

     (2,322,759      (51,393             (2,944      (10,476,431       

Unrealized gains (losses) — net

     284,526,834        5,521,419        66,456,451        6,041,237        229,319,812        (200,453

Total accumulated earnings (losses) net

   $ 286,091,764      $ 5,709,486      $ 69,792,460      $ 6,031,736      $ 228,125,151      $ (180,377

As of August 31, 2017, the Funds’ aggregate security unrealized gains and losses based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

      ActiveBeta®
Emerging
Markets
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
Europe
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
International
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
Japan
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF
 

Tax Cost

   $ 1,227,714,890    $ 38,470,822      $ 532,011,872    $ 37,035,742    $ 2,158,198,974      $ 12,682,706  

Gross unrealized gain

     299,823,615      6,501,093        76,034,779      6,550,758      283,699,398        472,535  

Gross unrealized loss

     (15,296,781 )      (979,674      (9,578,328 )      (509,521 )      (54,379,586      (672,988

Net unrealized gains (losses)

   $ 284,526,834    $ 5,521,419      $ 66,456,451    $ 6,041,237    $ 229,319,812      $ (200,453

The difference between GAAP-basis and tax-basis unrealized gains (losses) is attributable primarily to wash sales, net mark to market gains/(losses) on foreign currency contracts and differences in the tax treatment of underlying fund investments, partnership investments, and passive foreign investment company investments.

In order to present certain components of the Funds’ capital accounts on a tax-basis, certain reclassifications have been recorded to the Funds’ accounts. These reclassifications have no impact on the net asset value of the Funds and result primarily from redemptions in-kind, certain non-deductible expenses, and differences in the tax treatment of foreign currency transactions, partnership investments, passive foreign investment company investments and underlying fund investments.

 

114


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

9. TAX INFORMATION (continued)

 

 

      ActiveBeta®
Emerging
Markets
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
Europe
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
International
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
Japan
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
     ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF
 

Paid-in Capital

   $ 27,851,922      $ 332,855      $ (12    $      $ 7,749,305      $         —  

Accumulated Net realized Gain (Loss)

     (27,224,713      (340,073      59,267        27,096        (7,862,114       

Undistributed Net Investment Income (Loss)

     (627,209      7,218        (59,255      (27,096      112,809         

GSAM has reviewed the Funds’ tax positions for all open tax years (the current and prior year, as applicable) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Funds’ financial statements. Such open tax years remain subject to examination and adjustment by tax authorities.

 

10. OTHER RISKS

The Funds’ risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Derivatives Risk — A Fund’s use of derivatives may result in loss. Derivative instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments. Losses from derivatives can also result from a lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivative instruments and the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged.

Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk — Investing in foreign markets may involve special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in the United States. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which a Fund invests. The imposition of exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States or other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which a Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. To the extent that a Fund also invests in securities of issuers located in emerging markets, these risks may be more pronounced.

Foreign Custody Risk — If a Fund invests in foreign securities, the Fund may hold such securities and cash with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Fund’s custodian (each a “Foreign Custodian”). Some foreign custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over, or independent evaluation of, their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on a Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy.

Investments in emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging market countries are very often undeveloped and may be considerably less well regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.

Index Risk — GSAM (the “Index Provider”) constructs each Fund’s Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology. A Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in its Index. In addition, because the Funds are not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from an Index, a Fund generally would not sell a security

 

115


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

10. OTHER RISKS (continued)

 

because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. A Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, a Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing each Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of such third party data. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of an Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the applicable Fund and its shareholders. In addition, neither a Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk — As a shareholder of another investment company, including an ETF, a Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any net management fees and other expenses paid by such other investment companies, in addition to the fees and expenses regularly borne by the Fund. ETFs are subject to risks that do not apply to conventional mutual funds, including but not limited to the following: (i) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or a discount to their NAV; and (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained.

Market and Credit Risks — In the normal course of business, a Fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk). Additionally, a Fund may also be exposed to credit risk in the event that an issuer or guarantor fails to perform or that an institution or entity with which the Fund has unsettled or open transactions defaults.

Market Trading Risk — Each Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The Investment Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of a Fund’s Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time.

Tracking Error Risk — Tracking error is the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of its Index. The performance of a Fund may diverge from that of its Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, a Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to its Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike a Fund, the returns of an Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

 

11. INDEMNIFICATIONS

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, its Trustees, officers, employees and agents are indemnified, to the extent permitted by the Act and state law, against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Funds. Additionally, in the course of business, the Funds enter into contracts that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Funds’ maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Funds that have not yet occurred. However, GSAM believes the risk of loss under these arrangements to be remote.

 

12. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Subsequent events after the Statements of Assets and Liabilities date have been evaluated and GSAM has concluded that there is no impact requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

116


Report of Independent Registered Public

Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Trustees of

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust and Shareholders of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, and Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

In our opinion, the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities, including the schedules of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial positions of each of the six funds listed in the table below

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta®
Emerging Markets Equity ETF
   Statement of changes in net assets for the year ended August 31, 2017 and for the period September 25, 2015 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta®
Europe Equity ETF
   Statement of changes in net assets for the year ended August 31, 2017 and for the period March 2, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta®
International Equity ETF
   Statement of changes in net assets for the year ended August 31, 2017 and for the period November 6, 2015 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta®
Japan Equity ETF
   Statement of changes in net assets for the year ended August 31, 2017 and for the period March 2, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta®
U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
   Statement of changes in net assets for the year ended August 31, 2017 and for the period September 17, 2015 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta®
U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
   Statement of changes in net assets for the period June 28, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017

(each a “Fund” of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, hereafter collectively referred to as the “Funds”) as of August 31, 2017, the results of each of their operations for the year then ended (or for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, the period from June 28, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017), the changes in each of their net assets for the respective periods described in the table above, and the financial highlights for each of the periods presented therein, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Funds’ management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities as of August 31, 2017 by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, transfer agent of the underlying funds and the application of alternative auditing procedures where securities purchased confirmations had not been received, provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

October 24, 2017

 

117


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Fund Expenses — Six Months ended 8/31/2017 (Unaudited)

As a shareholder you incur ongoing costs, which may include management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in Shares of the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other exchange-traded funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period from March 1, 2017 (or commencement of operation) and held for the six months ended August 31, 2017, which represents a period of 184 days of a 365 day year (or less where indicated).

Actual Expenses — The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the six months. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000=8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes — The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF     ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF     ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF     ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF     ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF     ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF(1)   
     Beginning
Account
Value
3/1/17
    Ending
Account
Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid*
    Beginning
Account
Value
3/1/17
    Ending
Account
Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid*
    Beginning
Account
Value
3/1/17
    Ending
Account
Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid*
    Beginning
Account
Value
3/1/17
    Ending
Account
Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid*
    Beginning
Account
Value
3/1/17
    Ending
Account
Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid*
   

Beginning

Account
Value
6/28/17

   

Ending

Account

Value
8/31/2017

    Expenses
Paid*
 

Actual based on NAV

  $ 1,000     $ 1,164.60     $ 2.46     $ 1,000     $ 1,160.90     $ 1.36     $ 1,000     $ 1,131.50     $ 1.34     $ 1,000     $ 1,076.60     $ 1.31     $ 1,000     $ 1,054.50     $ 0.47     $ 1,000     $ 982.40     $ 0.35  

Hypothetical 5% return

    1,000       1,022.94 +     2.29       1,000       1,023.95 +     1.28       1,000       1,023.95 +     1.28       1,000       1,023.95 +     1.28       1,000       1,024.75 +     0.46       1,000       1,008.55 +     0.36  

 

  *   Expenses for the Fund are calculated using the Fund’s annualized net expense ratio, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of net assets for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017. Expenses are calculated by multiplying the annualized net expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the most recent fiscal year; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the fiscal year. The annualized net expense ratio for the period is as follows:  

 

Fund        

ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF

     0.45

ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF

     0.25  

ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF

     0.25  

ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF

     0.25  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

     0.09  

ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF(1)

     0.20  

 

+   Hypothetical expenses are based on the Fund’s actual annualized net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses.

 

(1)   For the period June 28, 2017 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

 

118


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Statement Regarding Basis for Initial Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (Unaudited)

 

Background

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”) is a newly-organized investment portfolio of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”) that commenced investment operations on June 28, 2017. At a meeting held on April 16, 2015 (the “Meeting”) in connection with the Fund’s organization, the Trustees, including all of the Trustees present who are not parties to the Trust’s investment management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) or “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) of any party thereto (the “Independent Trustees”) approved the Management Agreement with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Investment Adviser”).

At the Meeting, the Trustees reviewed the Management Agreement with respect to the Fund, including information regarding the terms of the Management Agreement; the nature, extent, and quality of the Investment Adviser’s anticipated services; the fees and expenses to be paid by the Fund; a comparison of the Fund’s proposed management fees and anticipated expenses with those paid by other similar exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”); the Investment Adviser’s proposal to limit certain expenses of the Fund that exceed a specified level; potential benefits to be derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund; and potential benefits to be derived by the Fund from its relationship with the Investment Adviser. Various information was also provided at prior meetings at which the Fund was discussed.

In connection with the Meeting, the Trustees received written materials and oral presentations on the topics covered. The Independent Trustees were advised by their independent legal counsel regarding their responsibilities under applicable law. In evaluating the Management Agreement at the Meeting, the Trustees relied upon information included in a presentation made by the Investment Adviser at the Meeting and information received at prior Board meetings. The Trustees also drew on information they had received in their capacity as Trustees of other registered investment companies sponsored by the Investment Adviser.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of the Services to be Provided Under the Management Agreement

As part of their review, the Trustees considered the nature, extent, and quality of the services to be provided by the Investment Adviser. In this regard, the Trustees considered the investment advisory services that would be provided to the Fund by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees also considered information about the Fund’s structure, investment objective, strategies, and other characteristics. In particular, they noted that the Fund would operate as a passively-managed ETF, which would seek to track a proprietary index created by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees noted the experience and capabilities of the key Investment Adviser personnel who would be providing services to the Fund. In part, the Trustees considered the Investment Adviser’s extensive experience in managing quantitative investment strategies and its expertise in developing “smart beta” products that it had obtained through its acquisition of another investment management firm. The Trustees concluded that the Investment Adviser would be able to commit substantial financial and other resources to the Fund. They also considered that although the Fund was new (and therefore had no performance data to evaluate) and would be among the first ETFs managed by the Investment Adviser, the Investment Adviser had extensive experience managing other types of registered investment companies. The Trustees concluded that the Investment Adviser’s management of the Fund likely would benefit the Fund and its shareholders.

Costs of Services to be Provided and Profitability

The Trustees considered the contractual fee rates payable by the Fund under the Management Agreement, and the net amount expected to be retained by the Investment Adviser. In this regard, the Trustees considered information on the services to be rendered by the Investment Adviser to the Fund, which include advisory and non-advisory services directed to the needs and operations of the Fund as an ETF. The Trustees noted that no license fees would be payable to the Investment Adviser by the Fund for use of the indices created by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees also reviewed the Fund’s projected total operating expense ratios (both gross and net of expense limitations). They compared the Fund’s projected fees and expenses to similar information for comparable ETFs advised by other, unaffiliated investment management firms, as well as the peer group and category medians. The comparisons of the Fund’s fee rates and total operating expense ratios were prepared by a third-party provider of fund data. The Trustees concluded that this information was useful in evaluating the reasonableness of the management fees and total expenses expected to be paid by the Fund.

In addition, the Trustees considered the Investment Adviser’s undertaking to limit certain expenses of the Funs that exceed a specified level. The Trustees recognized that there was not yet profitability data to evaluate for the Fund, but considered the Investment Adviser’s representations that (i) such data would be provided after the Fund commenced operations, and (ii) the Fund was not expected to be profitable to the Investment Adviser and its affiliates initially.

 

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Statement Regarding Basis for Initial Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (Unaudited) (continued)

 

Economies of Scale

The Trustees noted that the Fund will not have management fee breakpoints. They considered the Fund’s projected asset levels and information comparing the fee rates charged by the Investment Adviser with fee rates charged to other ETFs in the peer groups, as well as the Investment Adviser’s undertaking to limit certain expenses of the Fund that exceed a specified level. The Trustees recognized that if the assets of the Fund increase over time, the Fund and its shareholders could realize economies of scale as certain Fund expenses, such as certain fixed fees, become a smaller percentage of overall assets.

Other Benefits to the Investment Adviser and Its Affiliates

The Trustees also considered the other benefits expected to be derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including: (a) the Investment Adviser’s ability to leverage the infrastructure designed to service the Fund on behalf of its other clients; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to cross-market other products and services to Fund shareholders; (c) the Investment Adviser’s ability to negotiate better pricing with custodians on behalf of its other clients, as a result of the relationship with the Fund; and (d) the possibility that the working relationship between the Investment Adviser and the Fund’s third-party service providers may cause those service providers to be open to doing business with other areas of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”).

Other Benefits to the Fund and Its Shareholders

The Trustees also noted that the Fund receives (or is expected to receive) certain potential benefits as a result of their relationships with the Investment Adviser, including: (a) enhanced servicing from vendors because of the volume of business generated by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to hire and retain qualified personnel to provide services to the Fund because of the reputation of the Goldman Sachs organization; and (c) the Fund’s access to certain affiliated distribution channels.

Conclusion

In connection with their consideration of the Management Agreement for the Fund at the Meeting, the Trustees gave weight to various factors, but did not identify any particular factor as controlling their decision. After deliberation and consideration of the information provided, including the factors described above, the Trustees concluded, in the exercise of their business judgment, that the investment management fees were reasonable. The Trustees concluded that the engagement of the Investment Adviser likely would benefit the Fund and its shareholders and that the Management Agreement should be approved for a two-year period.

 

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GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs except Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (Unaudited)

 

Background

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (each, a “Fund” and together, the “Funds”) are investment portfolios of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”). The Board of Trustees oversees the management of the Trust and reviews the investment performance and expenses of the Funds at regularly scheduled meetings held throughout the year. In addition, the Board of Trustees determines annually whether to approve the continuance of the Trust’s investment management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Investment Adviser”) on behalf of the Funds.

The Management Agreement was most recently approved for continuation until March 31, 2018 by the Board of Trustees, including those Trustees who are not parties to the Management Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) of any party thereto (the “Independent Trustees”), at a meeting held on March 14-15, 2017 (the “Annual Meeting”).

The review process undertaken by the Trustees spans the course of the year and culminates with the Annual Meeting. To assist the Trustees in their deliberations, the Trustees have established a Contract Review Committee (the “Committee”), comprised of the Independent Trustees. At those Committee meetings, regularly scheduled Board or other committee meetings, and/or the Annual Meeting, matters relevant to the renewal of the Management Agreement were considered by the Board, or the Independent Trustees, as applicable. With respect to each Fund, such matters included:

  (a)   the nature and quality of the advisory, administrative, and other services provided to the Fund by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, including information about:
  (i)   the structure, staff, and capabilities of the Investment Adviser and its portfolio management teams;
  (ii)   the groups within the Investment Adviser and its affiliates that support the portfolio management teams or provide other types of necessary services, including fund services groups (e.g., accounting and financial reporting, tax, shareholder services, and operations); controls and risk management groups (e.g., legal, compliance, valuation oversight, credit risk management, internal audit, compliance testing, market risk analysis, finance, and central funding); sales and distribution support groups, and others (e.g., information technology and training);
  (iii)   trends in employee headcount;
  (iv)   the Investment Adviser’s financial resources and ability to hire and retain talented personnel and strengthen its operations; and
  (v)   the parent company’s support of the Investment Adviser and its registered fund business, as expressed by the firm’s senior management;
  (b)   information on the investment performance of the Fund, including comparisons to the performance of similar exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), as provided by a third-party fund data provider engaged as part of the contract review process (the “Outside Data Provider”), and information on general investment outlooks in the markets in which the Fund invests;
  (c)   the terms of the Management Agreement entered into by the Trust on behalf of the Fund;
  (d)   fee and expense information for the Fund, including:
  (i)   the relative management fee and expense levels of the Fund as compared to those of comparable funds managed by other advisers, as provided by the Outside Data Provider;
  (e)   with respect to the investment performance and expense comparison data provided by the Outside Data Provider, its processes in producing that data for the Fund;
  (f)   information relating to the profitability of the Management Agreement and the transfer agency and distribution and service arrangements of the Fund to the Investment Adviser and its affiliates;
  (g)   whether the Fund’s existing management fee schedule adequately addressed any economies of scale;
  (h)   a summary of the “fall-out” benefits derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund;
  (i)   a summary of potential benefits derived by the Fund as a result of its relationship with the Investment Adviser;
  (j)   portfolio manager ownership of Fund shares; the manner in which portfolio manager compensation is determined; and the number and types of accounts managed by the portfolio managers;
  (k)   the nature and quality of the services provided to the Fund by its unaffiliated service providers, and the Investment Adviser’s general oversight and evaluation (including reports on due diligence) of those service providers as part of the administrative services provided under the Management Agreement; and
  (l)   the Investment Adviser’s processes and policies addressing various types of potential conflicts of interest; its approach to risk management; the annual review of the effectiveness of the Fund’s compliance program; and periodic compliance reports.

 

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Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs except Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (Unaudited) (continued)

 

The presentations made at the Board and Committee meetings and at the Annual Meeting encompassed the Funds and other funds for which the Board of Trustees has responsibility. In evaluating the Management Agreement at the Annual Meeting, the Trustees relied upon their knowledge, resulting from their meetings and other interactions throughout the year, of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, their services, and the Funds. In conjunction with these meetings, the Trustees received written materials and oral presentations on the topics covered, and the Investment Adviser addressed the questions and concerns of the Trustees, including concerns regarding the investment performance of certain of the funds they oversee. The Independent Trustees were advised by their independent legal counsel regarding their responsibilities and other regulatory requirements related to the approval and continuation of registered fund investment management agreements under applicable law. In addition, the Investment Adviser and its affiliates provided the Independent Trustees with a written response to a formal request for information sent on behalf of the Independent Trustees by their independent legal counsel. During the course of their deliberations, the Independent Trustees met in executive sessions with their independent legal counsel, without representatives of the Investment Adviser or its affiliates present.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of the Services Provided Under the Management Agreement

As part of their review, the Trustees considered the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the Investment Adviser. In this regard, the Trustees considered both the investment advisory services and non-advisory services that are provided by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. The Trustees considered that under the Management Agreement, the Funds pay a single fee to the Investment Adviser, and the Investment Adviser pays all of the Funds’ ordinary operating expenses, excluding payments under each Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expense, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses. The Trustees also considered information about each Fund’s structure, investment objective, strategies and other characteristics. In particular, they noted that the Funds are passively-managed ETFs that seek to track proprietary indices created by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees noted the experience and capabilities of the key personnel of the Investment Adviser who provide services to the Funds. In particular, the Trustees considered the Investment Adviser’s extensive experience in managing quantitative investment strategies and its expertise in developing “smart beta” products. The Trustees concluded that the Investment Adviser continued to commit substantial financial and operational resources to the Funds and expressed confidence that the Investment Adviser would continue to do so in the future.

Investment Performance

The Trustees also considered the investment performance of the Funds. In this regard, they compared the total return of each Fund (with the exception of Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF) to the performance of its respective proprietary index, a comparable market capitalization-weighted reference index, and a separate account composite with a comparable investment strategy. The information regarding each Fund’s investment performance was provided for the one-year period ended September 30, 2016, or from inception to that date, to the extent that the Fund had not been in existence for that one-year period. The Trustees observed that each Fund’s investment performance was consistent with the investment objective of tracking its respective proprietary index.

Unitary Fee Structure and Profitability

The Trustees considered the contractual fee rates payable by each Fund, noting that the Management Agreement provides for a unitary fee structure, pursuant to which each Fund pays a single fee to the Investment Adviser and the Investment Adviser then pays all of the Fund’s ordinary operating expenses. In addition, the Trustees considered information on the services rendered by the Investment Adviser to the Funds, which included both advisory and administrative services that were directed to the needs and operations of the Funds as ETFs. The Trustees also considered information provided regarding fees and expenses of comparable ETFs advised by other, unaffiliated investment management firms. In particular, the Trustees referred to an analysis comparing each Fund’s management fees and net expense ratios to those of relevant peer funds. The Trustees concluded that the comparisons were useful in evaluating the reasonableness of the management fees and total expenses paid by the Funds.

The Trustees reviewed each Fund’s contribution to the Investment Adviser’s revenues and pre-tax profit margins. In this regard the Trustees noted that they had received, among other things, profitability analyses and summaries, revenue and expense schedules by Fund and by function (i.e., investment management, transfer agency and distribution and service), and information on the Investment Adviser’s expense allocation methodology. They observed that the profitability and expense figures are substantially similar to those used by the Investment Adviser for many internal purposes, including compensation decisions among various business groups, and are thus subject to a vigorous internal debate about how certain revenue and expenses should be allocated. The Trustees also noted that the internal audit group within the Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”) organization had audited the expense allocation methodology and that the internal audit group was satisfied with the

 

122


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Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs except Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (Unaudited) (continued)

 

reasonableness, consistency, and accuracy of the Investment Adviser’s expense allocation methodology and profitability analysis calculations.

Economies of Scale

The Trustees noted that the Funds do not have fee breakpoints. The Trustees considered information previously provided regarding the amounts of assets in each Fund, the Funds’ recent creation and redemption activity, and the costs of the services provided by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.

Other Benefits to the Investment Adviser and Its Affiliates

The Trustees also considered the other benefits derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Funds, including: (a) the Investment Adviser’s ability to leverage the infrastructure designed to service the Funds on behalf of its other clients; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to cross-market other products and services to Fund shareholders; (c) the Investment Adviser’s ability to negotiate better pricing with custodians on behalf of its other clients, as a result of the relationship with the Funds; and (d) the possibility that the working relationship between the Investment Adviser and the Funds’ third party service providers may cause those service providers to be more likely to do business with other areas of Goldman Sachs.

Other Benefits to the Funds and Their Shareholders

The Trustees also noted that the Funds receive certain potential benefits as a result of their relationship with the Investment Adviser, including: (a) enhanced servicing from vendors because of the volume of business generated by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to hire and retain qualified personnel to provide services to the Funds because of the reputation of the Goldman Sachs organization; and (c) the Funds’ access to certain affiliated distribution channels.

Conclusion

In connection with their consideration of the Management Agreement, the Trustees gave weight to each of the factors described above, but did not identify any particular factor as controlling their decision. After deliberation and consideration of all of the information provided, including the factors described above, the Trustees concluded, in the exercise of their business judgment, that the unitary fee paid by each Fund was reasonable in light of the services provided to it by the Investment Adviser, the Investment Adviser’s costs and each Fund’s current and/or reasonably foreseeable asset levels. The Trustees unanimously concluded that the Investment Adviser’s continued management likely would benefit each Fund and its shareholders and that the Management Agreement should be approved and continued with respect to each Fund until March 31, 2018.

 

123


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (Unaudited)

 

Background

The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (the “Fund”) is an investment portfolio of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”). The Board of Trustees oversees the management of the Trust and reviews the investment performance and expenses of the Fund at regularly scheduled meetings held throughout the year. In addition, the Board of Trustees determines annually whether to approve the continuance of the Trust’s investment management agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Investment Adviser”) on behalf of the Fund.

The Management Agreement was most recently approved for continuation until March 31, 2018 by the Board of Trustees, including those Trustees who are not parties to the Management Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) of any party thereto (the “Independent Trustees”), at a meeting held on March 14-15, 2017 (the “Annual Meeting”).

The review process undertaken by the Trustees spans the course of the year and culminates with the Annual Meeting. To assist the Trustees in their deliberations, the Trustees have established a Contract Review Committee (the “Committee”), comprised of the Independent Trustees. At those Committee meetings, regularly scheduled Board or other committee meetings, and/or the Annual Meeting, matters relevant to the renewal of the Management Agreement were considered by the Board, or the Independent Trustees, as applicable. With respect to the Fund, such matters included:

  (a)   the nature and quality of the advisory, administrative, and other services provided to the Fund by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, including information about:
  (i)   the structure, staff, and capabilities of the Investment Adviser and its portfolio management teams;
  (ii)   the groups within the Investment Adviser and its affiliates that support the portfolio management teams or provide other types of necessary services, including fund services groups (e.g., accounting and financial reporting, tax, shareholder services, and operations); controls and risk management groups (e.g., legal, compliance, valuation oversight, credit risk management, internal audit, compliance testing, market risk analysis, finance, and central funding); sales and distribution support groups, and others (e.g., information technology and training);
  (iii)   trends in employee headcount;
  (iv)   the Investment Adviser’s financial resources and ability to hire and retain talented personnel and strengthen its operations; and
  (v)   the parent company’s support of the Investment Adviser and its registered fund business, as expressed by the firm’s senior management;
  (b)   information on the investment performance of the Fund, including comparisons to the performance of similar exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), as provided by a third-party fund data provider engaged as part of the contract review process (the “Outside Data Provider”), and information on general investment outlooks in the markets in which the Fund invests;
  (c)   the terms of the Management Agreement entered into by the Trust on behalf of the Fund;
  (d)   fee and expense information for the Fund, including:
  (i)   the relative management fee and expense levels of the Fund as compared to those of comparable funds managed by other advisers, as provided by the Outside Data Provider;
  (e)   with respect to the investment performance and expense comparison data provided by the Outside Data Provider, its processes in producing that data for the Fund;
  (f)   the undertakings of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates to implement fee waivers and/or expense limitations;
  (g)   information relating to the profitability of the Management Agreement and the transfer agency and distribution and service arrangements of the Fund to the Investment Adviser and its affiliates;
  (h)   whether the Fund’s existing management fee schedule adequately addressed any economies of scale;
  (i)   a summary of the “fall-out” benefits derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund;
  (j)   a summary of potential benefits derived by the Fund as a result of its relationship with the Investment Adviser;
  (k)   portfolio manager ownership of Fund shares; the manner in which portfolio manager compensation is determined; and the number and types of accounts managed by the portfolio managers;
  (l)   the nature and quality of the services provided to the Fund by its unaffiliated service providers, and the Investment Adviser’s general oversight and evaluation (including reports on due diligence) of those service providers as part of the administrative services provided under the Management Agreement; and
  (m)   the Investment Adviser’s processes and policies addressing various types of potential conflicts of interest; its approach to risk management; the annual review of the effectiveness of the Fund’s compliance program; and periodic compliance reports.

 

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Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (Unaudited) (continued)

 

The presentations made at the Board and Committee meetings and at the Annual Meeting encompassed the Fund and other registered funds for which the Board of Trustees has responsibility. In evaluating the Management Agreement at the Annual Meeting, the Trustees relied upon their knowledge, resulting from their meetings and other interactions throughout the year, of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, their services, and the Fund. In conjunction with these meetings, the Trustees received written materials and oral presentations on the topics covered, and the Investment Adviser addressed the questions and concerns of the Trustees, including concerns regarding the investment performance of certain of the funds they oversee. The Independent Trustees were advised by their independent legal counsel regarding their responsibilities and other regulatory requirements related to the approval and continuation of mutual fund investment management agreements under applicable law. In addition, the Investment Adviser and its affiliates provided the Independent Trustees with a written response to a formal request for information sent on behalf of the Independent Trustees by their independent legal counsel. During the course of their deliberations, the Independent Trustees met in executive sessions with their independent legal counsel, without representatives of the Investment Adviser or its affiliates present.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of the Services Provided Under the Management Agreement

As part of their review, the Trustees considered the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Investment Adviser. In this regard, the Trustees considered both the investment advisory services and non-advisory services that are provided by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. The Trustees also considered information about the Fund’s structure, investment objective, strategies and other characteristics. In particular, they noted that the Fund is a passively-managed ETF that seeks to track a proprietary index created by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees noted the experience and capabilities of the key personnel of the Investment Adviser who provide services to the Fund. The Trustees considered the Investment Adviser’s extensive experience in managing quantitative investment strategies and its expertise in developing “smart beta” products. The Trustees concluded that the Investment Adviser continued to commit substantial financial and operational resources to the Fund and expressed confidence that the Investment Adviser would continue to do so in the future.

Investment Performance

The Trustees also considered the investment performance of the Fund. In this regard, they compared the total return of the Fund to the performance of its proprietary index, a comparable market capitalization-weighted reference index, and a separate account composite with a comparable investment strategy. The information regarding the Fund’s investment performance was provided from inception through September 30, 2016. The Trustees observed that the Fund’s investment performance was consistent with the investment objective of tracking its proprietary index.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The Trustees considered the contractual terms of the Management Agreement and the fee rates payable by the Fund thereunder. In this regard, the Trustees considered information on the services rendered by the Investment Adviser to the Fund, which included both advisory and administrative services that were directed to the needs and operations of the Fund as an ETF. The Trustees noted that no license fees would be payable to the Investment Adviser by the Fund for use of the index created by the Investment Adviser. The Trustees also reviewed the Fund’s total operating expense ratio (both gross and net of expense limitations). They compared the Fund’s fees and expenses to similar information for comparable ETFs advised by other, unaffiliated investment management firms. In particular, the Trustees referred to a summary comparing the Fund’s management fees and net expense ratios to those of relevant peer funds. The Trustees concluded that the comparisons were useful in evaluating the reasonableness of the management fee and total expenses paid by the Fund.

In addition, the Trustees considered the Investment Adviser’s undertaking to limit certain expenses of the Fund that exceed a specified level and acknowledged the permanent expense limitation agreement in place. The Trustees reviewed the Fund’s contribution to the Investment Adviser’s revenues and pre-tax profit margins. In this regard the Trustees noted that they had received, among other things, profitability analyses and summaries, revenue and expense schedules by Fund and by function (i.e., investment management, transfer agency and distribution and service), and information on the Investment Adviser’s expense allocation methodology. They observed that the profitability and expense figures are substantially similar to those used by the Investment Adviser for many internal purposes, including compensation decisions among various business groups, and are thus subject to a vigorous internal debate about how certain revenue and expenses should be allocated. The Trustees also noted that the internal audit group within the Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”) organization had audited the expense allocation methodology and that the internal audit group was satisfied with the reasonableness, consistency, and accuracy of the Investment Adviser’s expense allocation methodology and profitability analysis calculations.

 

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Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Management Agreement for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF (Unaudited) (continued)

 

Economies of Scale

The Trustees noted that the Fund does not have management fee breakpoints. The Trustees considered information previously provided regarding the amounts of assets in the Fund, the Fund’s recent creation and redemption activity, and the costs of the services provided by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. The Trustees recognized that if the assets of the Fund increase over time, the Fund and its shareholders could realize economies of scale as certain Fund expenses, such as certain fixed fees, become a smaller percentage of overall assets.

Other Benefits to the Investment Adviser and Its Affiliates

The Trustees also considered the other benefits derived by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including: (a) the Investment Adviser’s ability to leverage the infrastructure designed to service the Fund on behalf of its other clients; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to cross-market other products and services to Fund shareholders; (c) the Investment Adviser’s ability to negotiate better pricing with custodians on behalf of its other clients, as a result of the relationship with the Fund; and (d) the possibility that the working relationship between the Investment Adviser and the Fund’s third party service providers may cause those service providers to be more likely to do business with other areas of Goldman Sachs.

Other Benefits to the Fund and Its Shareholders

The Trustees also noted that the Fund receives certain potential benefits as a result of its relationship with the Investment Adviser, including: (a) enhanced servicing from vendors because of the volume of business generated by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates; (b) the Investment Adviser’s ability to hire and retain qualified personnel to provide services to the Fund because of the reputation of the Goldman Sachs organization; and (c) the Fund’s access to certain affiliated distribution channels.

Conclusion

In connection with their consideration of the Management Agreement, the Trustees gave weight to each of the factors described above, but did not identify any particular factor as controlling their decision. After deliberation and consideration of all of the information provided, including the factors described above, the Trustees concluded, in the exercise of their business judgment, that the management fee paid by the Fund was reasonable in light of the services provided to it by the Investment Adviser, the Investment Adviser’s costs and the Fund’s current and reasonably foreseeable asset levels. The Trustees unanimously concluded that the Investment Adviser’s continued management likely would benefit the Fund and its shareholders and that the Management Agreement should be approved and continued until March 31, 2018.

 

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Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) Independent Trustees

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
 

Term of

Office and
Length of Time
Served2

  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

Caroline Dorsa

Age: 58

  Trustee   Since 2016  

Ms. Dorsa is retired. She was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (a generation and energy services company) (2009-2015); Senior Vice President, Merck & Co, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2008-2009 and 1987-2007); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2007-2008); and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Avaya, Inc. (a technology company) (2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   Biogen Inc. (a biotechnology company); Intellia Therapeutics Inc. (a gene-editing company); Illumina, Inc. (a life sciences company)

Linda A. Lang

Age: 59

  Trustee   Since 2016  

Ms. Lang is retired. She is Chair of the Board of Directors (2016-present), and Member of the Board of Directors, WD-40 Company (2004-Present); and was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (2005-2014); and Director, President and Chief Operating Officer, Jack in the Box, Inc. (a restaurant company) (2003-2005).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21  

WD-40 Company

(a global consumer products company)

Michael Latham

Age: 51

  Trustee   Since 2015  

Mr. Latham is retired. Formerly, he held senior management positions with the iShares exchange-traded fund business, including Chairman (2011-2014); Global Head (2010-2011); U.S. Head (2007-2010); and Chief Operating Officer (2003-2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   None

Lawrence W. Stranghoener

Age: 63

  Chairman of the Board of Trustees   Trustee Since 2015; Chairman Since 2017  

Mr. Stranghoener is retired. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kennametal, Inc. (2003-Present); Director, Aleris Corporation and Aleris International, Inc. (2011-Present); and was formerly Interim Chief Executive Officer (2014); and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2004-2014, Mosaic Company (a fertilizer manufacturing company).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21  

Kennametal Inc.

(a global manufacturer and distributor of tooling and industrial materials)

         

Interested Trustee*

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
 

Term of

Office and
Length of
Time Served2

  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

James A. McNamara

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  142   None
         
*   This person is considered to be an “Interested Trustee” because he holds a position with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.
1    Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline L. Kraus. Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns, retires or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust; or (c) the termination of the Trust.
3    The Goldman Sachs Fund Complex includes certain other companies listed above for each respective Trustee. As of August 31, 2017, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust consisted of 19 portfolios (eight of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (88 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 14 portfolios; Goldman Sachs Trust II consisted of 17 portfolios (16 of which offered shares to the public); and Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund each consisted of one portfolio.
4    This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the Act.

Additional information about the Trustees is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States of America): 1-800-526-7384.

 

127


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Officers of the Trust*

 

Name,

Address and Age1

 

Positions Held

with the Trust

 

Term of

Office and
Length of
Time Served2

  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

James A. McNamara

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Caroline L. Kraus

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 40

  Secretary   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016 – Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2015); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012- Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2011); and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (2002-2006).

 

Secretary — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending Corp.; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Scott M. McHugh

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 45

  Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007-December 2015); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005-2007); and Director (2005-2007), Vice President (2000-2005), and Assistant Vice President (1998-2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998-2007).

 

Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Joseph F. DiMaria

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 49

  Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer   Since 2017  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2015-Present) and Vice President – Mutual Fund Administration, Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (May 2010-October 2015).

 

Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

     
*   Represents a partial list of officers of the Trust. Additional information about all the officers is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States): 1-800-621-2550.
1    Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.

 

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® ETFs — Tax Information (Unaudited)

From distributions paid during the year ended August 31, 2017, the total amount of income received by the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF and ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF from sources within foreign countries and possessions of the United States was $0.3616, $0.2421, $0.2785 and $0.7515 per share, respectively, all of which is attributable to qualified passive income. The percentage of net investment income dividends paid from foreign sources by the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF and ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF was 94.26%, 92.30%, 85.86%, and 97.93%, respectively. The total amount of taxes paid by the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF and ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF to foreign countries was $0.0490, $0.0264, $0.0358, and $0.0967 per share, respectively.

For the year ended August 31, 2017, 94.37%, 95.69%, 99.70%, 89.91%, and 86.77% of the dividends paid from net investment company taxable income by the ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, and ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF, respectively, qualify for the reduced tax rate under the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003.

For the year ended August 31, 2017, 94.30% of the dividends paid from net investment company taxable income by the ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity qualify for the dividends received deduction available to corporations.

 

128


FUNDS PROFILE

 

Goldman Sachs ETFs

 

 

LOGO

 

Goldman Sachs is a premier financial services firm, known since 1869 for creating thoughtful and customized investment solutions in complex global markets.

Today, the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs serves a diverse set of clients worldwide, including private institutions, public entities and individuals. With approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under supervision as of June 30, 2017, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (“GSAM”) has portfolio management teams located around the world and our investment professionals bring firsthand knowledge of local markets to every investment decision. Assets under supervision includes assets under management and other client assets for which Goldman Sachs does not have full discretion. GSAM leverages the resources of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC subject to legal, internal and regulatory restrictions.

 

GOLDMAN SACHS EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF
Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

Goldman Sachs Access High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

 

INDEX DISCLAIMERS

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index, MSCI Europe Index, MSCI World ex USA Index and MSCI Japan Index (the “MSCI Indices”) were used by GSAM as the reference universe for selection of the companies included in the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity Index, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index and Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity Index (the “ActiveBeta® Indices”), respectively. MSCI Inc. does not in any way sponsor, support, promote or endorse the ActiveBeta® Indices or the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF or Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF (the “ActiveBeta® ETFs” or the “Funds”). MSCI Inc. was not and is not involved in any way in the creation, calculation, maintenance or review of the ActiveBeta® Indices. The MSCI Indices were provided on an “as is” basis. MSCI Inc., its affiliates and any other person or entity involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI Indices (collectively, the “MSCI Parties”) expressly disclaim all warranties (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose). Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any MSCI Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including without limitation lost profits) or any other damages in connection with the MSCI Indices, the ActiveBeta® ETFs or the ActiveBeta® Indices.

The Russell 2000® Index was used by Goldman Sachs Asset Management or its affiliate as the starting universe for selection of the companies included in the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity Index. Frank Russell Company (“RUSSELL”) does not in any way sponsor, support, promote or endorse the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity Index or the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF. In no event shall any Russell Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including without limitation lost profits) or any other damages in connection with the Russell 2000® Index or the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity Index.

The ActiveBeta® Indices are trademarks of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and have been licensed for use by Goldman Sachs ETF Trust.

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P., THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC., AND GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC (COLLECTIVELY, “GOLDMAN SACHS”) DOES NOT GUARANTEE NOR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE OWNERS OR SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUNDS OR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN SECURITIES GENERALLY OR IN A FUND PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF THE ACTIVEBETA® INDICES TO TRACK GENERAL MARKET PERFORMANCE. GOLDMAN SACHS, IN ITS CAPACITY AS THE INDEX PROVIDER OF THE ACTIVEBETA® INDICES, LICENSES CERTAIN TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES TO THE FUNDS. GOLDMAN SACHS HAS NO OBLIGATION TO TAKE THE NEEDS OF THE FUNDS OR THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUNDS INTO CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING THE ACTIVEBETA® INDICES. GOLDMAN SACHS OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES MAY HOLD LONG OR SHORT POSITIONS IN SECURITIES HELD BY A FUND OR IN RELATED DERIVATIVES.

GOLDMAN SACHS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, TIMELINESS, ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE ACTIVEBETA® INDICES OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. GOLDMAN SACHS HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN OR IN THE CALCULATION THEREOF. GOLDMAN SACHS MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE MARKS, THE ACTIVEBETA® INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AS TO THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY A FUND, THE SHAREHOLDERS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM USE OF THE ACTIVEBETA® INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, GOLDMAN SACHS HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.


TRUSTEES

Lawrence W. Stranghoener, Chairman

Caroline Dorsa

Linda A. Lang

Michael Latham

James A. McNamara

 

OFFICERS

James A. McNamara, President

Scott M. McHugh, Treasurer, Senior Vice President and

Principal Financial Officer

Joseph F. DiMaria, Assistant Treasurer and Principal

Accounting Officer

Caroline L. Kraus, Secretary

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

Transfer Agent

 

ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

Distributor

 

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

Investment Adviser

Visit our Website at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282

The reports concerning the Funds included in this shareholder report may contain certain forward-looking statements about the factors that may affect the performance of the Funds in the future. These statements are based on Fund management’s predictions and expectations concerning certain future events and their expected impact on the Funds, such as performance of the economy as a whole and of specific industry sectors, changes in the levels of interest rates, the impact of developing world events, and other factors that may influence the future performance of the Funds. Management believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, although they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual events may cause adjustments in portfolio management strategies from those currently expected to be employed.

A description of the policies and procedures that the Funds use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how a Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available (i) without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-621-2550; and (ii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC’’) web site at http://www.sec.gov.

The Funds file their complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Qs. The Fund’s Form N-Qs are available on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov within 60 days after the Fund’s first and third fiscal quarters. The Fund’s Form N-Qs may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may also be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Form N-Qs may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-621-2550.

Fund holdings and allocations shown are as of August 31, 2017 and may not be representative of future investments. Fund holdings should not be relied on in making investment decisions and should not be construed as research or investment advice regarding particular securities. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.

The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) was developed by and is the exclusive property and a service mark of Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) and is licensed for use by Goldman Sachs. Neither MSCI, S&P nor any other party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classifications makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such standard or classification (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any of such standard or classification. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, S&P, any of their affiliates or any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classifications have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Economic and market forecasts presented herein reflect our judgment as of the date of this presentation and are subject to change without notice. These forecasts do not take into account the specific investment objectives, restrictions, tax and financial situation or other needs of any specific client. Actual data will vary and may not be reflected here. These forecasts are subject to high levels of uncertainty that may affect actual performance. Accordingly, these forecasts should be viewed as merely representative of a broad range of possible outcomes. These forecasts are estimated, based on assumptions, and are subject to significant revision and may change materially as economic and market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to these forecasts. Case studies and examples are for illustrative purposes only.

ETF Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their net asset value (“NAV”) only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is the distributor of the Goldman Sachs ETF Funds. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is unaffiliated with Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

THIS MATERIAL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY ON THE BASIS THAT IT WILL NOT CONSTITUTE INVESTMENT OR OTHER ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION RELATING TO ANY PERSON’S OR PLAN’S INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS, AND GOLDMAN SACHS IS NOT A FIDUCIARY OR ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO ANY PERSON OR PLAN BY REASON OF PROVIDING THE MATERIAL OR CONTENT HEREIN INCLUDING UNDER THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974 OR DEPARTMENT OF LABOR REGULATIONS. PLAN SPONSORS AND OTHER FIDUCIARIES SHOULD CONSIDER THEIR OWN CIRCUMSTANCES IN ASSESSING ANY POTENTIAL COURSE OF ACTION.

This material is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by a current Prospectus or summary prospectus, if applicable. Investors should consider a Fund’s objective, risks, and charges and expenses, and read the summary prospectus, if available, and/or the Prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The summary prospectus, if available, and the Prospectus contain this and other information about a Fund and may be obtained from your authorized dealer or from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC by calling 1-800-621-2550.

© 2017 Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved. 107364-TMPL-10/2017-630971 ACTBETAAR-17/GST549/22k


Goldman Sachs Funds

 

LOGO

 

 
Annual Report      

August 31, 2017

 
     

Goldman Sachs ETFs

     

Hedge Industry VIP ETF

 

LOGO


Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Investment Process

    1  

Portfolio Results and Fund Basics

    3  

Schedule of Investments

    10  

Financial Statements

    11  

Financial Highlights

    14  

Notes to Financial Statements

    15  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    22  

Other Information

    23  

 

     
NOT FDIC-INSURED   May Lose Value   No Bank Guarantee


INVESTMENT PROCESS

 

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

The Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index. The Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP IndexTM (the “Index”) is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities whose performance is expected to influence the long portfolios of hedge funds. Such equity securities are defined as those that appear most frequently among the top ten equity holdings of U.S. hedge fund managers that select their investments based upon fundamental analysis. Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Index Provider”) is the provider of the Index, which is constructed in accordance with a rules-based methodology.

Hedge fund managers report their U.S. equity holdings, which are made public 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis once the information has been fully disseminated. The construction of the Index involves accessing the identifiers and share counts of U.S. equity holdings disclosed by hedge fund managers in their quarterly 13F filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Index is constructed to then apply share prices at the time of data collection to the numbers of shares listed in each 13F disclosure filing to calculate the dollar market value of each reported position. U.S. hedge fund managers that select their investments based upon fundamental analysis are assumed to be U.S. hedge fund managers with no fewer than 10 and no more than 200 distinct U.S. equity positions, as reported in the hedge fund managers’ most recent Form 13F filings. Managers with less than $10 million of disclosed equity assets are excluded.

The equity positions are then ranked within each individual hedge fund manager’s portfolio by descending market value. The approximately 50 stocks that appear most frequently in the top10 holdings of this universe then become the Index constituents. Constituents are equal dollar-weighted at each rebalance. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.

The Index does not include hedge funds (i.e., unlisted, privately offered funds) and is not designed to approximate the performance of any hedge fund manager, hedge fund or group of hedge fund managers or hedge funds. The Index should not be considered a hedge fund replication strategy. As of August 31, 2017, the Index consisted of 50 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $2.8 billion and $794.3 billion. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class at all times.

 

1


INVESTMENT PROCESS

 

 

THE FUND IS NOT A HEDGE FUND AND DOES NOT INVEST IN HEDGE FUNDS.

* * *

At the end of the Reporting Period (i.e., November 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017), we continued to believe the most effective way to identify the most important positions of hedge fund managers is to know what equities they are holding. We also maintained conviction in our methodology for extracting these important positions — by obtaining information from quarterly 13F filings of hedge fund managers and identifying stocks that appear among top holdings the most frequently. Through an efficient implementation of our methodology, we believe investors are able to access top hedge fund long equity ideas and gain exposure to evolving U.S. market themes.

 

2


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP IndexTM (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the period since its commencement of operations on November 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 26.61% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 29.18% based on market price.1 The Index returned 27.14%, and the S&P 500 Index (Total Return, USD) (“S&P 500 Index”), a market-cap based index against which the performance of the Fund is measured, returned 19.18% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had a NAV of $40.00 on the date of commencement of operations and ended the Reporting Period with a NAV of $50.46 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $50.48 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?1

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities whose performance is expected to influence the long portfolios of hedge funds. Such equity securities are defined as those that appear most frequently among the top ten equity holdings of U.S. hedge fund managers that select their investments based upon fundamental analysis. Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Index Provider”) is the provider of the Index, which is constructed in accordance with a rules-based methodology. Hedge fund managers report their U.S. equity holdings, which are made public 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis once the information has been fully disseminated. The construction of the Index involves accessing the identifiers and share counts of U.S. equity holdings disclosed by hedge fund managers in the their quarterly 13F filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Index is constructed to then apply share prices at the time of data collection to the numbers of shares listed in each 13F disclosure filing to calculate the dollar market value of each reported position. U.S. hedge fund managers that select their investments based upon fundamental analysis are assumed to be U.S. hedge fund managers with no fewer than 10 and more than 200 distinct U.S. equity positions, as reported in the hedge fund managers’ most recent Form 13F filings. Managers with less than $10 million of disclosed equity assets are excluded. The equity positions are then ranked within each individual hedge fund manager’s portfolio by descending market value. The approximately 50 stocks that appear most frequently in the top 10 holdings of this universe then become the Index constituents. Constituents are equal dollar-weighted at each rebalance. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index.

 

    The Index’s performance is compared to that of the S&P 500 Index below. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based

 

  1    The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from commencement of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the market price returns.

 

3


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

upon analysis of economic and market factors. The Fund does not follow a strategy of seeking to outperform the S&P 500 Index.

 

    The Index posted robust absolute gains, and the Index outperformed the S&P 500 Index during the Reporting Period. The Index also outperformed the S&P 500 Index during the Reporting Period, as measured by NAV.

 

Q   Which sectors contributed most positively to the Index’s relative performance during the Reporting Period, and which detracted most?

 

A   Index constituents in the information technology, consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors contributed most positively to the Index’s results relative to the S&P 500 Index during the Reporting Period. Partially offsetting these positive contributors were Index constituents in industrials and real estate, the only two sectors that detracted from the Index’s results relative to the S&P 500 Index during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual stock positions contributed the most to the Index’s relative returns during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the S&P 500 Index, overweight positions in information technology company Alibaba Group Holding and consumer discretionary companies Liberty Broadband and Charter Communications contributed most positively (2.19%, 1.95% and 1.96% of Fund net assets as of 8/31/17, respectively). Each of these positions generated a robust double-digit gain during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   Which individual positions detracted from the Index’s results during the Reporting Period?

 

A   Relative to the S&P 500 Index, overweight positions in information technology company FleetCor Technologies, energy company Pioneer Natural Resources and health care company Valeant Pharmaceuticals International detracted most (2.00%, 0.00% and 0.00%2 of Fund net assets as of 8/31/17, respectively). Each of these positions generated a double-digit negative return during the Reporting Period.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund did not invest in derivatives or similar instruments during the Reporting Period. The Fund does not employ derivatives as a source of alpha generation, although it may use them to equitize excess cash.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s sector positioning relative to the Index and the S&P 500 Index at the end of the Reporting Period?3

 

     Sector Name   Fund     GS Hedge
Fund VIP
IndexTM
    S&P
500
Index
 
  Information Technology     36.80     36.88     23.51
  Consumer Discretionary     23.50       23.60       12.06  
  Financials     11.80       11.80       14.23  
  Health Care     9.95       10.03       14.66  
  Materials     4.03       4.07       2.90  
  Energy     3.95       3.98       5.67  
  Telecommunication Services     3.88       3.92       2.14  
  Industrials     3.69       3.72       10.10  
  Consumer Staples     2.00       2.01       8.48  
  Real Estate     0.00       0.00       2.98  
  Utilities     0.00       0.00       3.26  
    Cash     0.80       0.00       0.00  

 

  3    Sector classifications for securities may differ between the above listing and the Schedule of Investments due to differing classification methodologies. The classification methodology used for the above listing is as set forth by S&P 500 Index.

 

  2    Some weights are 0.00% at August 31, 2017 because those positions were eliminated during the most recent rebalance given the Index construction methodology.

 

4


FUND BASICS

 

Hedge Industry VIP ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017       
  Market Price1   $ 50.48  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1   $ 50.46  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of the Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com.

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     November 1, 2016–
August 31, 2017
  Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
    Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
    Goldman Sachs
Hedge Fund
VIP IndexTM3
    S&P 500 Index®4  
    Shares     26.61     29.18     27.14     19.18

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculations assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00 pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.

 

  3    The Index is owned and maintained by the Index Provider. The Index is calculated by Solactive AG. The Index consists of the US-listed stocks whose performance is expected to influence the long portfolios of hedge funds. Those stocks are defined as the positions that appear most frequently among the top 10 long equity holdings within the portfolios of fundamentally-driven hedge fund managers. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

  4    The S&P 500® Index is the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Index of 500 stocks, an unmanaged index of common stock prices.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

5


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

  EXPENSE RATIO5  
          Expense Ratio  
    Shares     0.45

 

  5    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratio disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/176
     Holding   % of Net Assets      Line of Business
  Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR     2.2    Information Technology
  Dell Technologies, Inc., Class V     2.2      Information Technology
  Micron Technology, Inc.     2.2      Information Technology
  Adient PLC     2.1      Consumer Discretionary
  salesforce.com, Inc.     2.1      Information Technology
  Autodesk, Inc.     2.1      Information Technology
  Dow Chemical Co. (The)     2.1      Materials
  Celgene Corp.     2.1      Health Care
  PayPal Holdings, Inc.     2.1      Information Technology
    eBay, Inc.     2.0      Information Technology

 

  6    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

6


FUND BASICS

 

 

 

 

 

  FUND SECTOR ALLOCATIONS7
     As of August 31, 2017

LOGO

 

 

  7    The Fund’s composition may differ over time. Consequently, the Fund’s overall industry sector allocations may differ from percentages contained in the graph above. The above graph categorizes investments using Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), however, the sector classifications used by the portfolio management team may differ from GICS. The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of market value.

 

7


Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on November 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index and secondary underlying index, the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP Index and the S&P 500 Index (TR, unhedged, USD) are shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from November 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017    Since Inception

Shares based on NAV (Commenced November 1, 2016)

   26.61%*

 

 

*   Total return for periods of less than one year represents cumulative total return.

 

8


FUND BASICS

 

Index Definitions and Industry Terms

 

Alpha: The excess returns of a fund relative to the return of a benchmark index is the fund’s alpha.

The S&P 500® Index is the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Index of 500 stocks, an unmanaged index of common stock prices.

 

9


GOLDMAN SACHS HEDGE INDUSTRY VIP ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

Shares     Description   Value  
Common Stocks – 99.7%  
Consumer Discretionary – 23.5%      
  13,518     Adient PLC   $ 955,452  
  913     Amazon.com, Inc.*     895,288  
  2,236     Charter Communications, Inc., Class A*     891,136  
  21,412     Comcast Corp., Class A     869,541  
  6,069     Expedia, Inc.     900,397  
  20,275     JD.com, Inc. ADR (China)*     849,725  
  8,702     Liberty Broadband Corp., Class C*     883,514  
  14,475     Liberty Ventures, Series A*     891,081  
  5,246     Netflix, Inc.*     916,529  
  14,195     Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Class A     854,539  
  478     Priceline Group, Inc. (The)*     885,294  
  8,771     Time Warner, Inc.     886,748  
   

 

 

 
      10,679,244  

 

 

 
Consumer Staples – 2.0%      
  4,551     Constellation Brands, Inc., Class A     910,655  

 

 

 
Energy – 4.0%  
  35,887     Parsley Energy, Inc., Class A*     898,969  
  33,021     Rice Energy, Inc.*     903,455  
   

 

 

 
      1,802,424  

 

 

 
Financials – 11.8%      
  39,697     Ally Financial, Inc.     897,152  
  36,739     Bank of America Corp.     877,695  
  5,060     Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class B*     916,670  
  13,215     Citigroup, Inc.     899,016  
  9,701     JPMorgan Chase & Co.     881,724  
  16,979     Wells Fargo & Co.     867,117  
   

 

 

 
      5,339,374  

 

 

 
Health Care – 10.0%      
  3,856     Allergan PLC     884,875  
  4,691     Anthem, Inc.     919,623  
  6,748     Celgene Corp.*     937,500  
  2,796     CR Bard, Inc.     896,985  
  9,682     VCA, Inc.*     900,039  
   

 

 

 
      4,539,022  

 

 

 
Industrials – 3.7%      
  17,918     Delta Air Lines, Inc.     845,550  
  3,219     TransDigm Group, Inc.     839,065  
   

 

 

 
      1,684,615  

 

 

 
Information Technology – 36.8%      
  5,802     Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR (China)*     996,435  
  955     Alphabet, Inc., Class A*     912,254  
  5,613     Apple, Inc.     920,532  
  8,239     Autodesk, Inc.*     943,036  
  4,011     Baidu, Inc. ADR (China)*     914,709  
  3,576     Broadcom Ltd.     901,402  
  12,490     Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Class A     883,917  
  13,243     Dell Technologies, Inc., Class V*     992,298  
  10,653     DXC Technology Co.     905,505  
  25,487     eBay, Inc.*     920,845  

 

 

 
  5,255     Facebook, Inc., Class A*   903,702  
  6,327     FleetCor Technologies, Inc.*     909,633  
  30,683     Micron Technology, Inc.*     980,936  
  12,192     Microsoft Corp.     911,596  
  7,974     NXP Semiconductors NV (Netherlands)*     900,743  
  15,192     PayPal Holdings, Inc.*     937,043  
  9,941     salesforce.com, Inc.*     949,266  
  8,807     Visa, Inc., Class A     911,701  
   

 

 

 
      16,695,553  

 

 

 
Materials – 4.0%      
  14,149     Dow Chemical Co. (The)     943,031  
  7,658     Monsanto Co.     897,518  
   

 

 

 
      1,840,549  

 

 

 
Telecommunication Services – 3.9%      
  15,843     Level 3 Communications, Inc.*     862,334  
  14,066     T-Mobile US, Inc.*     910,211  
   

 

 

 
      1,772,545  

 

 

 
  TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 99.7%  
  (Cost $41,574,024)   $ 45,263,981  

 

 

 
 

OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF

    LIABILITIES – 0.3%

    145,529  

 

 

 
  NET ASSETS – 100.0%   $ 45,409,510  

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

*

  Non-income producing security.

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

ADR

 

—American Depositary Receipt

PLC

 

—Public Limited Company

 

 

10   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS HEDGE INDUSTRY VIP ETF

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

August 31, 2017

 

        Hedge Industry
VIP ETF
 
  Assets:  
 

Investments at value (cost $41,574,024)

  $ 45,263,981  
 

Cash

    54,523  
 

Receivables:

 
 

Dividends

    106,164  
  Total assets     45,424,668  
   
  Liabilities:  
 

Payables:

 
 

Management fees

    15,158  
  Total liabilities     15,158  
   
  Net Assets:  
 

Paid-in capital

    41,931,095  
 

Undistributed net investment income

    104,370  
 

Accumulated net realized loss

    (315,912
 

Net unrealized gain

    3,689,957  
  NET ASSETS   $ 45,409,510  
 

SHARES ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING

 
 

Shares outstanding no par value (unlimited shares authorized):

    900,000  
 

Net asset value per share:

    $50.46  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   11


GOLDMAN SACHS HEDGE INDUSTRY VIP ETF

 

Statement of Operations

For the period ended August 31, 2017(1)

 

        Hedge Industry
VIP ETF
 
  Investment income:  
 

Dividends

  $ 322,051  
  Total investment income     322,051  
   
  Expenses:  
 

Management fees

    83,836  
 

Trustee fees

    28,189  
  Total expenses     112,025  
  NET INVESTMENT INCOME     210,026  
   
  Realized and unrealized gain (loss):  
 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 
 

Investments

    (377,332
 

In-kind redemptions

    3,471,016  
 

Net unrealized gain on:

 
 

Investments

    3,689,957  
  Net realized and unrealized gain     6,783,641  
  NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS     6,993,667  

 

  (1)   For the period November 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

12   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS HEDGE INDUSTRY VIP ETF

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

For the period ended August 31, 2017(1)

 

        Hedge Industry
VIP ETF
 
  From operations:  
 

Net investment income

  $ 210,026  
 

Net realized gain

    3,093,684  
 

Net change in unrealized gain

    3,689,957  
  Net increase in net assets resulting from operations     6,993,667  
   
  Distributions to shareholders:  
 

From net investment income

    (105,656
  Total distributions to shareholders     (105,656
   
  From share transactions:  
 

Proceeds from sales of shares

    68,761,793  
 

Cost of shares redeemed

    (30,240,294
  Net increase in net assets resulting from share transactions     38,521,499  
  TOTAL INCREASE     45,409,510  
   
  Net assets:  
 

Beginning of period

  $  
 

End of period

  $ 45,409,510  
  Undistributed net investment income   $ 104,370  

 

  (1)   For the period November 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   13


GOLDMAN SACHS HEDGE INDUSTRY VIP ETF

 

Financial Highlights

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout The Period

 

        Hedge Industry
VIP ETF*
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:  
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 40.00  
 

Net investment income(a)(b)

    0.32  
 

Net realized and unrealized gain

    10.31  
 

Total gain from investment operations

    10.63  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.17
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 50.46  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 50.48  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(c)     26.61
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 45,410  
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets(d)

    0.45
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets(d)

    0.84
 

Portfolio turnover rate(e)

    116

 

   *   For the period November 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2017.
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Reflects income recognized from non-reoccuring special dividends which amounted to $0.11 per share and 0.24% of average net assets.
  (c)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (d)   Annualized.
  (e)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

14   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements

August 31, 2017

 

1. ORGANIZATION

 

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (the “Fund”) is a series of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”) which is an open-end diversified management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), consisting of multiple series. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 2009.

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investment results that closely correspond to the performance of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP Index (the “Index”).

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (formerly, Goldman, Sachs & Co.) (“Goldman Sachs”), serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to a management agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Trust. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). Market prices for the Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund issues and redeems shares at its respective NAV only in blocks of a specified number of shares, or multiples thereof, referred to as “Creation Units”. Creation Units are issued and redeemed principally in-kind for a basket of securities and a cash amount. Shares generally trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit at market prices that change throughout the day. Only those that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) may do business directly with the Fund.

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and require management to make estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.

A.  Investment Valuation — The Fund’s valuation policy is to value investments at fair value.

B.  Investment Income and Investments — Investment income includes interest income, dividend income and securities lending income. Interest income is accrued daily and adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Dividend income is recognized on ex-dividend date or, for certain foreign securities, as soon as such information is obtained subsequent to the ex-dividend date. Investment transactions are reflected on trade date. Realized gains and losses are calculated using identified cost. Investment transactions are recorded on the following business day for daily NAV calculations. Investment income is recorded net of any foreign withholding taxes, less any amounts reclaimable. The Fund may file withholding tax reclaims in certain jurisdictions to recover a portion of amounts previously withheld. Any foreign capital gains tax is accrued daily based upon net unrealized gains, and is payable upon sale of such investments.

C.  Expenses — Expenses incurred directly by the Fund are charged to the Fund, and certain expenses incurred by the Trust that may not solely relate to the Fund are allocated to the Fund and the other applicable funds of the Trust on a straight-line and/or pro-rata basis, depending upon the nature of the expenses, and are accrued daily.

D.  Federal Taxes and Distributions to Shareholders — It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies (mutual funds) and to distribute each year substantially all of its investment company taxable income and capital gains to its shareholders. Accordingly, the Fund is not required to make any provisions for the payment of federal income tax. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income and capital gains distributions, if any, are declared and paid according to the following schedule:

 

Fund        

Income Distributions

Declared/Paid

  

Capital Gains Distributions

Declared/Paid

Hedge Industry VIP ETF

       Quarterly    Annually

Net capital losses, if any, are carried forward to future fiscal years and may be used to the extent allowed by the Code to offset any future capital gains. Losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. Utilization of capital loss carryforwards will reduce the requirement of future capital gains distributions.

 

15


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

The characterization of distributions to shareholders for financial reporting purposes is determined in accordance with federal income tax rules, which may differ from GAAP. The source of the Fund’s distributions may be shown in the accompanying financial statements as either from net investment income, net realized gain or capital. Certain components of the Fund’s net assets on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities reflect permanent GAAP/tax differences based on the appropriate tax character.

F.  Foreign Currency Translation — The accounting records and reporting currency of the Fund is maintained in U.S. dollars. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rates at the close of each business day. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on investments is included within net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments. Changes in the value of other assets and liabilities as a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates are included in the Statement of Operations within net change in unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency translations. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars on the date the transaction occurred, the effects of which are included within net realized gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions.

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

U.S. GAAP defines the fair value of a financial instrument as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price); the Fund’s policy is to use the market approach. GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The levels used for classifying investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in these investments. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

Level 2 — Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable

(including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, volatility and credit spreads), either directly or indirectly;

Level 3 — Prices or valuations that require significant unobservable inputs (including GSAM’s assumptions in determining fair value measurement).

Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the hierarchy. In accordance with the Fund’s policy, transfers between different levels of the fair value hierarchy resulting from such changes are deemed to have occurred as of the beginning of the reporting period.

The Board of Trustees (“Trustees”) has approved Valuation Procedures that govern the valuation of the portfolio investments held by the Fund, including investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Trustees have delegated to GSAM day-to-day responsibility for implementing and maintaining internal controls and procedures related to the valuation of the Fund’s investments. To assess the continuing appropriateness of pricing sources and methodologies, GSAM regularly performs price verification procedures and issues challenges as necessary to third party pricing vendors or brokers, and any differences are reviewed in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

A.  Level 1 and Level 2 Fair Value Investments — The valuation techniques and significant inputs used in determining the fair values for investments classified as Level 1 and Level 2 are as follows:

Equity Securities — Equity securities traded on a United States (“U.S.”) securities exchange or the NASDAQ system, or those located on certain foreign exchanges, including but not limited to the Americas, are valued daily at their last sale price or official closing price on the principal exchange or system on which they are traded. If there is no sale or official closing price or such price is believed by GSAM to not represent fair value, equity securities are valued at the last bid price for long positions and at the last ask price for short positions. To the extent these investments are actively traded, they are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy, otherwise they are generally classified as Level 2.

 

16


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

Unlisted equity securities for which market quotations are available are valued at the last sale price on the valuation date, or if no sale occurs, at the last bid price.

B.  Level 3 Fair Value Investments — To the extent that significant inputs to valuation models and other alternative pricing sources are unobservable, or if quotations are not readily available, or if GSAM believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Fund’s investments may be determined under Valuation Procedures approved by the Trustees. GSAM, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may make an adjustment to the most recent valuation prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining the Fund’s NAV. Significant events which could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions; or unscheduled market closings. Significant events which could also affect a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; ratings downgrades; and bankruptcies. At August 31, 2017 the Fund did not hold level 3 securities.

C.  Fair Value Hierarchy — The following is a summary of the Fund’s investments classified in the fair value hierarchy as of August 31, 2017:

 

HEDGE INDUSTRY VIP ETF  
Investment Type    Level 1      Level 2      Level 3  
Assets         

Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments(a)

        

Asia

   $ 2,760,869      $         —      $         —  

Europe

     900,743                

North America

     41,602,369                
Total    $ 45,263,981      $      $  

 

(a)   Amounts are disclosed by continent to highlight the impact of time zone differences between local market close and the calculation of NAV. Security valuations are based on the principal exchange or system on which they are traded, which may differ from country of domicile noted in the table.

For further information regarding security characteristics, see the Schedule of Investments.

 

4. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

A.  Management Agreement — Under the Agreement, GSAM manages the Fund, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees.

As compensation for the services rendered pursuant to the Agreement, the assumption of the expenses related thereto and administration of the Fund’s business affairs, including providing facilities, GSAM is entitled to a management fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, equal to an annual percentage rate of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Fund operates under a unitary management fee structure. Under the unitary fee structure, GSAM is responsible for paying substantially all the expenses of the Fund, excluding payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses. As the Fund directly pays fees and expenses of the independent Trustees, the management fee collected by GSAM will be reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the Fund to the independent Trustees.

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the unitary management fee with GSAM was 0.45%.

B.  Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plans — The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”), subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of the Fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to

 

17


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

5. CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

 

0.25% of its average daily net assets each year. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees.

The Trust issues and redeems shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without an initial sales load, at NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined in the Statement of Additional Information), of an order in proper form. Shares of the Fund may only be purchased or redeemed by certain financial institutions (each an “Authorized Participant”). An Authorized Participant is either (1) a “Participating Party” or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation; or (2) a Depository Trust Company participant; which, in either case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor. Retail investors will typically not qualify as an Authorized Participant or have the resources to buy and sell whole Creation Units. Therefore, they will be unable to purchase or redeem the shares directly from the Fund. Rather, most retail investors will purchase shares in the secondary market at market prices with the assistance of a broker and may be subject to customary brokerage commissions or fees. Fixed creation and redemption transaction fees are imposed in connection with creations and redemptions.

Authorized Participants transacting in Creation Units for cash may also pay a variable charge to compensate the Fund for certain transaction costs (e.g. taxes on currency or other financial transactions, and brokerage costs) and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolio securities. Such variable charges, if any, are included in “Proceeds from sale of shares” in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets.

Share activity is as follows:

 

         Hedge Industry VIP ETF  
           Shares      Dollars  

Fund Share Activity (1)

       

Shares Sold

       1,550,000      $ 68,761,740  

Shares Redeemed

         (650,000      (30,240,294

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

         900,000      $ 38,521,446  

 

(1)   For the period November 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017

 

6. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales and maturities of long-term securities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

Hedge Industry VIP ETF

       $ 35,680,832        $ 34,787,081  

The purchases and sales from in-kind creation and redemption transactions for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

Hedge Industry VIP ETF

       $ 67,750,993        $ 30,161,342  

 

18


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

7. TAX INFORMATION

 

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017 was as follows:

            Hedge Industry VIP  

Distributions paid from:

     

Ordinary Income

        $ 105,656  

Total taxable distributions

        $ 105,656  

As of August 31, 2017, the components of accumulated earnings (losses) on a tax-basis were as follows:

            Hedge Industry VIP  

Undistributed ordinary income — net

        $ 104,370  

Total undistributed earnings

        $ 104,370  

Timing differences (Post-October Capital Loss  Deferral)

      $ (179,228

Unrealized gains (losses) — net

        $ 3,553,273  

Total accumulated earnings (losses) net

        $ 3,478,415  

As of August 31, 2017, the Fund’s aggregate security unrealized gains and losses based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

            Hedge Industry VIP  

Tax Cost

        $ 41,710,708  

Gross unrealized gain

        3,690,831  

Gross unrealized loss

          (137,558

Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities

        $ 3,553,273  

The difference between GAAP-basis and tax-basis unrealized gains (losses) is attributable primarily to wash sales.

In order to present certain components of the Fund’s capital accounts on a tax-basis, certain reclassifications have been recorded to the Fund’s accounts. These reclassifications have no impact on the NAV of the Fund and result primarily from Redemptions In-Kind.

Fund          Paid-in Capital      Accumulated
Net Realized
Gain (Loss)
 

Hedge Industry VIP

        $ 3,409,596      $ (3,409,596

GSAM has reviewed the Fund’s tax positions for all open tax years (the current year) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. Such open tax year remains subject to examination and adjustment by tax authorities.

 

 

19


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

8. OTHER RISKS

 

The Fund’s portfolio’s risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Index Risk — GSAM (the “Index Provider”) constructs the Fund’s Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of such third party data. The Index is new and has a limited performance history. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

Market and Credit Risks — In the normal course of business, the Fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk). Additionally, the Fund may also be exposed to credit risk in the event that an issuer or guarantor fails to perform or that an institution or entity with which the Fund has unsettled or open transactions defaults.

Market Trading Risk — The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The Investment Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund’s Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time.

Tracking Error Risk — Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

 

9. INDEMNIFICATIONS

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, its Trustees, officers, employees and agents are indemnified, to the extent permitted by the Act and state law, against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. Additionally, in the course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, GSAM believes the risk of loss under these arrangements to be remote.

 

20


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

Subsequent events after the Statement of Assets and Liabilities date have been evaluated and GSAM has concluded that there is no impact requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

21


Report of Independent Registered Public

Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust and Shareholders of the

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF:

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (the “Fund”), a fund of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, as of August 31, 2017, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for the period November 1, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit, which included confirmation of securities as of August 31, 2017 by correspondence with the custodian provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

October 24, 2017

 

22


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Fund Expenses — Six Months Ended 8/31/2017 (Unaudited)      

 

As a shareholder you incur ongoing costs, which may include management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in Shares of the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other exchange-traded funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period from March 1, 2017 and held for the six months ended August 31, 2017, which represents a period of 184 days of a 365 day year (or less where indicated).

Actual Expenses — The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the six months. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000=8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes — The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Hedge Industry VIP ETF  
     Beginning
Account Value
3/1/17
    Ending
Account Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid
*
 

Actual based on NAV

  $ 1,000     $ 1,114.90     $ 2.40  

Hypothetical 5% return

  $ 1,000     $ 1,022.94   $ 2.29  

 

  *   Expenses for the Fund are calculated using the Fund’s annualized net expense ratio, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of net assets for the six months ended August 31, 2017. Expenses are calculated by multiplying the annualized net expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the most recent fiscal year; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the fiscal year.  

 

       The annualized net expense ratio for the period is as follows:  

 

Fund        

Hedge Industry VIP ETF

     0.45%  

 

  +   Hypothetical expenses are based on the Fund’s actual annualized net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses.  

 

23


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) Independent Trustees

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

Caroline Dorsa

Age: 58

  Trustee   Since 2016  

Ms. Dorsa is retired. She was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (a generation and energy services company) (2009-2015); Senior Vice President, Merck & Co, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2008-2009 and 1987-2007); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2007-2008); and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Avaya, Inc. (a technology company) (2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   Biogen Inc. (a biotechnology company); Intellia Therapeutics Inc. (a gene-editing company); Illumina, Inc. (a life sciences company)

Linda A. Lang

Age: 59

  Trustee   Since 2016  

Ms. Lang is retired. She is Chair of the Board of Directors (2016-Present); and Member of the Board of Directors, WD-40 Company (2004-Present); and was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (2005-2014); and Director, President and Chief Operating Officer, Jack in the Box, Inc. (a restaurant company) (2003-2005). Previously, Ms. Lang served as an Advisory Board Member of Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund (February 2016-March 2016).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   WD-40 Company (a global consumer products company)
         

 

24


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued) Independent Trustees

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

Michael Latham

Age: 51

  Trustee   Since 2015  

Mr. Latham is retired. Formerly, he held senior management positions with the iShares exchange-traded fund business, including Chairman (2011-2014); Global Head (2010-2011); U.S. Head (2007-2010); and Chief Operating Officer (2003-2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   None

Lawrence W. Stranghoener

Age: 63

  Trustee and Chairman  

Trustee since 2015; Chairman since 2017

 

Mr. Stranghoener is retired. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kennametal, Inc. (2003-Present); Director, Aleris Corporation and Aleris International, Inc. (a producer of aluminum rolled products) (2011-Present); and was formerly Interim Chief Executive Officer (2014); and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2004-2014), Mosaic Company (a fertilizer manufacturing company).

 

Chairman of the Board of Trustees — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   Kennametal Inc. (a global manufacturer and distributor of tooling and industrial materials)
         

 

25


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued) Interested Trustee*

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
  Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee4

James A. McNamara

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993- April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  142   None
         
*   This person is considered to be an “Interested Trustee” because he holds a position with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.
1    Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline L. Kraus. Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns, retires or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust; or (c) the termination of the Trust.
3    The Goldman Sachs Fund Complex includes certain other companies listed above for each respective Trustee. As of August 31, 2017, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust consisted of 19 portfolios (eight of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (88 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 14 portfolios; Goldman Sachs Trust II consisted of 17 portfolios (16 of which offered shares to the public); and Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund, and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund each consisted of one portfolio.
4    This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the Act.

Additional information about the Trustees is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States of America): 1-800-526-7384.

 

26


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued) Officers of the Trust*

 

Name, Address and Age1   Positions Held
with the Trust
 

Term of
Office and
Length of

Time Served2

  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

James A. McNamara

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Caroline L. Kraus

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 40

  Secretary   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2015); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012- Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2011); and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (2002-2006).

 

Secretary — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending Corp.; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Scott M. McHugh

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 45

  Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007-December 2015); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005-2007); and Director (2005-2007), Vice President (2000-2005), and Assistant Vice President (1998-2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998-2007).

 

Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Joseph F. DiMaria

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 49

  Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer   Since 2017  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2015-Present) and Vice President — Mutual Fund Administration, Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (May 2010-October 2015).

 

Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

     
*   Represents a partial list of officers of the Trust. Additional information about all the officers is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States): 1-800-621-2550.
1    Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.

 

 

27


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF — Tax Information (Unaudited)

For the year ended August 31, 2017, 100% of the dividends paid from net investment company taxable income by the Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF qualify for the dividends received deduction available to corporations.

For the year ended August 31, 2017, 100% of the dividends paid from net investment company taxable income by the Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF qualify for the reduced tax rate under the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003.

 

28


FUNDS PROFILE

 

Goldman Sachs ETFs

 

LOGO

 

Goldman Sachs is a premier financial services firm, known since 1869 for creating thoughtful and customized investment solutions in complex global markets.

Today, the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs serves a diverse set of clients worldwide, including private institutions, public entities and individuals. With approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under supervision as of June 30, 2017, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (“GSAM”) has portfolio management teams located around the world and our investment professionals bring firsthand knowledge of local markets to every investment decision. Assets under supervision includes assets under management and other client assets for which Goldman Sachs does not have full discretion. GSAM leverages the resources of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. subject to legal, internal and regulatory restrictions.

 

GOLDMAN SACHS EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF
Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

Goldman Sachs Access High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

 

INDEX DISCLAIMER

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P., THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC., AND GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC. (COLLECTIVELY, “GOLDMAN SACHS”) DOES NOT GUARANTEE NOR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE OWNERS OR SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUND OR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN SECURITIES GENERALLY OR IN THE FUND PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF THE INDEX TO TRACK GENERAL MARKET PERFORMANCE. GOLDMAN SACHS, IN ITS CAPACITY AS THE INDEX PROVIDER OF THE INDEX, LICENSES CERTAIN TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES TO THE FUND. GOLDMAN SACHS HAS NO OBLIGATION TO TAKE THE NEEDS OF THE FUND OR THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUND INTO CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING THE INDEX. GOLDMAN SACHS OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES MAY HOLD LONG OR SHORT POSITIONS IN SECURITIES HELD BY THE FUND OR IN RELATED DERIVATIVES GOLDMAN SACHS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, TIMELINESS, ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. GOLDMAN SACHS HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN OR IN THE CALCULATION THEREOF. GOLDMAN SACHS MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE MARKS, THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AS TO THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE FUND, THE SHAREHOLDERS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, GOLDMAN SACHS HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.


TRUSTEES

Lawrence W. Stranghoener, Chairman

Caroline Dorsa

Linda A. Lang

Michael Latham

James A. McNamara

 

OFFICERS

James A. McNamara, President

Scott M. McHugh, Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer

Joseph F. DiMaria, Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer

Caroline L. Kraus, Secretary

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

Transfer Agent

 

ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

Distributor

 

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

Investment Adviser

Visit our Website at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282

The reports concerning the Fund included in this shareholder report may contain certain forward-looking statements about the factors that may affect the performance of the Fund in the future. These statements are based on Fund management’s predictions and expectations concerning certain future events and their expected impact on the Fund, such as performance of the economy as a whole and of specific industry sectors, changes in the levels of interest rates, the impact of developing world events, and other factors that may influence the future performance of the Fund. Management believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, although they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual events may cause adjustments in portfolio management strategies from those currently expected to be employed.

A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available (i) without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-621-2550; and (ii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC’’) web site at http://www.sec.gov.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Qs. The Fund’s Form N-Qs are available on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov within 60 days after the Fund’s first and third fiscal quarters. The Fund’s Form N-Qs may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may also be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Form N-Qs may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-621-2550. Fund holdings and allocations shown are as of August 31, 2017 and may not be representative of future investments. Fund holdings should not be relied on in making investment decisions and should not be construed as research or investment advice regarding particular securities. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.

ETF Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their net asset value (“NAV”) only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

The Fund is recently organized and has limited operating history.

The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) was developed by and is the exclusive property and a service mark of Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) and is licensed for use by Goldman Sachs. Neither MSCI, S&P nor any other party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classifications makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such standard or classification (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any of such standard or classification. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, S&P, any of their affiliates or any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classifications have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Economic and market forecasts presented herein reflect our judgment as of the date of this presentation and are subject to change without notice. These forecasts do not take into account the specific investment objectives, restrictions, tax and financial situation or other needs of any specific client. Actual data will vary and may not be reflected here. These forecasts are subject to high levels of uncertainty that may affect actual performance. Accordingly, these forecasts should be viewed as merely representative of a broad range of possible outcomes. These forecasts are estimated, based on assumptions, and are subject to significant revision and may change materially as economic and market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to these forecasts. Case studies and examples are for illustrative purposes only.

THIS MATERIAL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY ON THE BASIS THAT IT WILL NOT CONSTITUTE INVESTMENT OR OTHER ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION RELATING TO ANY PERSON’S OR PLAN’S INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS, AND GOLDMAN SACHS IS NOT A FIDUCIARY OR ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO ANY PERSON OR PLAN BY REASON OF PROVIDING THE MATERIAL OR CONTENT HEREIN INCLUDING UNDER THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974 OR DEPARTMENT OF LABOR REGULATIONS. PLAN SPONSORS AND OTHER FIDUCIARIES SHOULD CONSIDER THEIR OWN CIRCUMSTANCES IN ASSESSING ANY POTENTIAL COURSE OF ACTION.

This material is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by a current Prospectus or summary prospectus, if applicable. Investors should consider the Fund’s objective, risks, and charges and expenses, and read the summary prospectus, if available, and/or the Prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The summary prospectus, if available, and the Prospectus contain this and other information about the Fund and may be obtained from your authorized dealer or from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC by calling 1-800-621-2550.

ActiveBeta® is a registered trademark of GSAM.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. is the distributor of the Goldman Sachs ETF Funds. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is unaffiliated with Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

©2017 Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved. 107210-TMPL-10/2017-630956 HEDVIPETFAR-17/GST550/851


Goldman Sachs Funds

 

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Annual Report      

August 31, 2017

 
     

Goldman Sachs ETFs

     

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

 

 

 

 

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Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Investment Process & Market Review

    1  

Portfolio Results and Fund Basics

    3  

Schedule of Investments

    10  

Financial Statements

    11  

Financial Highlights

    14  

Notes to Financial Statements

    15  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    21  

Other Information

    22  

 

     
NOT FDIC-INSURED   May Lose Value   No Bank Guarantee


INVESTMENT PROCESS & MARKET REVIEW

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

 

Principal Investment Strategies

The Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index. The Citi US Treasury 0-1 Year Composite Select Index (the “Index”) is designed to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury Obligations with a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months. “U.S. Treasury Obligations” refer to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury where the payment of principal and interest is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. Treasury Obligations include U.S. Treasury notes, U.S. Treasury bills and U.S. Treasury floating rate bonds. As of August 31, 2017, there were 72 issues in the Index and the Index had a weighted average maturity of 0.29 years. The Index includes publicly-issued U.S. Treasury Obligations that have a minimum remaining maturity of 1 month and a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months at the time of rebalance and that have a minimum issue size of $5 billion. In addition, the securities in the Index must be non-convertible and denominated in U.S. dollars. The Index excludes certain special issues, such as targeted investor notes, state and local government series bonds and coupon issues that have been stripped from bonds. 10-year and 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds are not eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index is rebalanced monthly on the last day of the month.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“the Investment Adviser”) uses a representative sampling strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy in which the Fund invests in a representative sample of constituent securities that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Index. The securities selected for investment by the Fund are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics, fundamental characteristics and liquidity measures similar to those of the Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

The Index is sponsored by FTSE Fixed Income LLC1 (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Investment Adviser. The Index is market capitalization-weighted and the securities in the Index are updated on the last business day of each month. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.

THE FUND IS NOT A MONEY MARKET FUND AND DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN A STABLE NET ASSET VALUE.

* * *

At the end of the Reporting Period (i.e., September 6, 2016 through August 31, 2017), we expected ongoing improvements in the U.S. economy, particularly in the labor market, to warrant one further interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) by year-end 2017, providing financial conditions do not tighten materially and core inflation rises. More specifically, we anticipated one further interest rate hike by the Fed in December 2017 as well as the beginning of its balance sheet normalization during the fourth quarter of 2017. Elsewhere, we believe central banks in Europe and Japan may scale back quantitative easing due to scarcity of assets but to maintain low interest rates amid subdued inflation outlooks. Indeed, we maintain our belief for the European Central Bank (“ECB”) to reduce its asset

 

 

1    Prior to September 14, 2017, the Index was sponsored by Citigroup Index LLC.

 

1


INVESTMENT PROCESS & MARKET REVIEW

 

purchases from January 2018 and for its interest rates to remain on hold for the remainder of 2017 and 2018. We see an increased likelihood of a tapering announcement from the ECB in September 2017 with the implication being potential further increases in London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and European rates at the short-term end of the yield curve, or spectrum of maturities. We believe monetary policy is likely to remain on hold in the U.K., providing inflation expectations do not rise materially, and we see little scope for a near-term interest rate hike in Canada given recent weakness in its inflation data.

While we appreciate that policymakers may use speeches and press conferences to shape expectations of future decisions, we believe policymaker comments made during the Reporting Period were more balanced than headlines suggested.

 

2


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

 

Investment Objective

The Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Citi US Treasury 0-1 Year Composite Select Index (the “Index”).

Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis

Below, the Goldman Sachs Quantitative Investment Strategies Team discusses the Fund’s performance and positioning for the period since its commencement of operations on September 6, 2016 through August 31, 2017 (the “Reporting Period”).

 

Q   How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period?

 

A   During the Reporting Period, the Fund returned 0.53% based on net asset value (“NAV”) and 0.53% based on market price.1 The Index returned 0.64% during the same period.

 

    The Fund had a NAV of $100.00 on the commencement of operations and ended the Reporting Period with a NAV of $100.10 per share. The Fund’s market price on August 31, 2017 was $100.10 per share.

 

Q   What key factors were responsible for the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Fund’s performance reflects Fund expenses, including management fees and brokerage expenses. The Fund’s relative performance also reflects the impact of any cash held in the Fund as well as any other differences between the Fund’s holdings and the constituents of the Index. The Index is unmanaged, and Index returns do not reflect fees and expenses, which would reduce returns.

 

    The Index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury Obligations with a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months. “U.S. Treasury Obligations” refer to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury where the payment of principal and interest is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. Treasury Obligations include U.S. Treasury notes, U.S. Treasury bills and U.S. Treasury floating rate bonds. The Index is sponsored by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Investment Adviser. The Index is market capitalization-weighted and the securities in the Index are updated on the last business day of each month.

 

    Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.

 

    During the Reporting Period, the Fund posted positive absolute returns that closely tracked those of the Index, as measured by NAV. The Fund is passively managed to the Index and aims to minimize tracking error to the Index.

 

    During the first half of the Reporting Period, it appeared to us that the Republican presidential election victory marked an important regime change in monetary, fiscal and regulatory policies. Consensus expectations for the U.S. policies mix shifted to one that included a faster pace of tightening monetary policies following several years of accommodation as well as increased fiscal stimulus and a potentially looser regulatory agenda. Since the election in early November 2016 through the end of February 2017, global interest rates rose, equity markets rallied and the U.S. dollar strengthened compared to both major developed and emerging market currencies. The U.S. Treasury money market yield curve, or spectrum of maturities, steepened on the heels of a post-election sell-off, as the market began pricing in higher inflation as a result of greater anticipated fiscal spending. (A steeper yield curve is one wherein the differential in yields between shorter-term and longer-term maturities increases.)

 

  1    The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from commencement of operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the market price returns.

 

 

3


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

 

 

    In December 2016, the U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) raised interest rates for only the second time since the global financial crisis, which drove further increases in the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasury yields, with particularly notable increases in shorter-dated bonds. Policymakers revised interest rate projections, signaling a steeper trajectory of interest rates, with three interest rate hikes implied in 2017. The Fed noted that it believed the December 2016 interest rate hike was warranted given “realized and expected labor market conditions and inflation.” Strong U.S. economic data year-to-date through February 28, 2017 and hawkish comments from U.S. Fed officials raised expectations for an interest rate hike at the Fed’s next meeting in March 2017. (Hawkish tends to suggest higher interest rates; opposite of dovish.)

 

    During the second half of the Reporting Period, the Fed raised interest rates twice more — in March and June 2017 and began a discussion of balance sheet normalization. (Balance sheet normalization refers to the steps the Fed will take to reverse quantitative easing and remove the substantial monetary accommodation it has provided to the economy since the financial crisis began in 2007.)

 

    U.S. Treasury yields moved higher as the Fed proceeded to raise the target range of the federal funds rate to a range of 1.00% to 1.25% in June 2017, citing ongoing strength in the labor market and a pickup in household spending and business fixed investment. Central banks in the U.K., Europe and Japan kept their respective monetary policies unchanged, but the possibility of tapering by the European Central Bank (“ECB”) and U.K. parliamentary elections were additional factors that influenced the short-term end of the U.S. Treasury market during these months.

 

    On the economic data front, U.S. indicators surprised to the downside toward the end of the Reporting Period but remained at relatively robust levels. Unemployment had declined to 4.3%, which is below the Fed’s estimate of the structural rate, and second quarter 2017 U.S. Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”) growth expectations exceeded 2% on an annualized basis. That said, core personal consumption expenditures remained below the Fed’s 2% target, and U.S. core inflation similarly weakened, casting uncertainty over the pace of monetary tightening going forward. Nonetheless, comments included in the Fed’s minutes from its May and June 2017 meetings suggested to many that a policy announcement concerning a change in its reinvestment policy may occur sooner than the consensus had previously anticipated.

 

    At the Fed’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium held in late August 2017, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said, “In light of the continued solid performance of the labor market and our outlook for economic activity and inflation, I believe the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months.” Further, the Fed released a detailed addendum to its policy statement with specifics around its plan to taper reinvestment of its balance sheet. The plan is to begin, some time in 2017, with a rundown no greater than $10 billion per month between mortgage-backed securities and U.S. Treasuries, with that total rising steadily over the course of one year.

 

    Separately, there were concerns about the U.S. debt ceiling during much of the Reporting Period. We observed accelerated bill pay-downs ahead of the mid-March 2017 debt ceiling deadline. The significant reduction in U.S. Treasury bill supply suppressed short-term U.S. Treasury bill rates.

 

    Additionally, consensus expectations for a tapering announcement in Europe in September 2017 moved from possible to more than probable. ECB President Mario Draghi made a cautious reference to a tapering of its quantitative easing, saying an adjustment in the ECB’s “policy instruments” alongside the ongoing economic recovery would imply a constant rather than tighter policy stance. The market reacted in a hawkish manner, with the euro appreciating and German government bond yields rising.

 

Q   How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period?

 

A   The Fund does not employ derivatives.
 
 

 

4


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

Q   What was the Fund’s weighted average duration, weighted average maturity, weighted average coupon and 30-day standardized yield at the end of the Reporting Period?2

 

A   The Fund had a weighted average duration of 0.39 years, a weighted average maturity of 0.39 years and a weighted average coupon of 0.64% as of August 31, 2017. The 30-day standardized yield of the Fund at the end of the Reporting Period was 0.96%.

 

Q   What was the Fund’s positioning relative to the Index at the end of the Reporting Period?3

 

A   The Fund, consistent with the Index, was 100% invested in U.S. Treasury securities at the end of the Reporting Period.

 

 

  2    Duration is a time measure of a bond’s interest-rate sensitivity, based on the weighted average of the time periods over which a bond’s cash flows accrue to the bondholder. Time periods are weighted by multiplying by the present value of its cash flow divided by the bond’s price. (A bond’s cash flows consist of coupon payments and repayment of capital.)

 

    A   bond’s duration will almost always be shorter than its maturity, with the exception of zero-coupon bonds, for which maturity and duration are equal. Weighted average duration is a measure of the duration for the securities in the portfolio overall. Weighted average maturity (“WAM”) is the weighted average amount of time until the debt securities in a portfolio mature, or the weighted average of the remaining terms to maturity of the debt securities within a portfolio. The higher the WAM, the longer it takes for all of the bonds in the portfolio to mature, and WAM is used to manage debt portfolios and to assess the performance of debt portfolio managers. Coupons are fixed percentages paid out on a fixed income security on an annual basis. Weighted average coupon is calculated by weighting the coupon of each debt security by its relative size in the portfolio. The method of calculation of the 30-Day Standardized Yield is mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and is determined by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the last 30 days of the period by the maximum public offering price per share on the last day of the period. This number is then annualized.

 

  3    The Fund seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Citi US Treasury 0-1 Year Composite Select Index.

 

 

 

5


PORTFOLIO RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

    After the close of the Reporting Period, on October 2, 2017, the Fund will be managed by the Fixed Income ETF Portfolio Management Team of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. As such, effective that date, Joshua Kruk and Jason Singer will serve as portfolio managers for the Fund. Joshua Kruk is a Managing Director in the Global Fixed Income Team. Jason Singer is a Managing Director and senior portfolio manager in the Global Fixed Income Team. David Fishman will remain as a portfolio manager for the Fund. Effective the same date, Raj Garigipati and Jamie McGregor will no longer serve as portfolio managers of the Fund.  

 

6


FUND BASICS

 

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

as of August 31, 2017

 

 

LOGO

 

 

  FUND SNAPSHOT  
     As of August 31, 2017        
  Market Price1      $100.10  
    Net Asset Value (NAV)1      $100.10  

 

  1    The Market Price is the price at which the Fund’s shares are trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. The Market Price of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and, at the time of sale, shares may be worth more or less than the original investment or the Fund’s then current net asset value (“NAV”). The NAV is the market value of one share of the Fund. This amount is derived by dividing the total value of all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, plus other assets, less any liabilities, by the number of Fund shares outstanding. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their NAV only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Information regarding how often shares of the Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at www.GSAMFUNDS.com.

 

  PERFORMANCE REVIEW  
     September 6, 2016–
August 31, 2017
   Fund Total Return
(based on NAV)2
     Fund Total Return
(based on Market Price)2
     Citi US Treasury 0-1 Year
Composite Select Index3
 
    Shares      0.53      0.53      0.64

 

  2    Total returns are calculated assuming purchase of a share at the market price or NAV on the first day and sale of a share at the market price or NAV on the last day of each period reported. The Total Returns Based on NAV and Market Price assume the reinvestment of dividends and do not reflect brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase or sale of Fund shares, which if included would lower the performance shown above. The NAV used in the Total Return calculations assumes all management fees incurred by the Fund. Market Price returns are based upon the last trade as of 4:00 pm EST and do not reflect the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. The first day of secondary market trading is typically several days after the date on which the Fund commenced investment operations; therefore, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the period from inception of investment operations to the first day of secondary market trading to calculate the Market Price returns. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.

 

  3    The Index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury Obligations with a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months. “U.S. Treasury Obligations” refer to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury where the payment of principal and interest is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. Treasury Obligations include U.S. Treasury notes, U.S. Treasury bills and U.S. Treasury floating rate bonds. The Index was developed and is calculated and maintained by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”). FTSE is not affiliated with the Fund or GSAM. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by FTSE without regard to the Fund. It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

 

The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s investment returns and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale or redemption of Fund shares.

 

7


FUND BASICS

 

 

  30-DAY STANDARDIZED SUBSIDIZED YIELD4  
          30-Day Standardized Yield4  
    Shares     0.96

 

  4    The method of calculation of the 30-Day Standardized Subsidized Yield is mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and is determined by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the last 30 days of the period by the maximum public offering price (“POP”) per share on the last day of the period. This number is then annualized. The 30-Day Standardized Subsidized Yield reflects fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements recorded by the Fund during the period. Without waivers and/or reimbursements, yields would be reduced. This yield does not necessarily reflect income actually earned and distributed by the Fund and, therefore, may not be correlated with the dividends or other distributions paid to shareholders.

 

  30-DAY STANDARDIZED UNSUBSIDIZED YIELD5  
          30-Day Standardized Yield  
    Shares     0.94

 

  5    The 30-Day Standardized Unsubsidized Yield does not adjust for any fee waivers and/ or expense reimbursements in effect. If the Fund does not incur any fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements during the period, the 30- Day Standardized Subsidized Yield and 30-Day Standardized Unsubsidized Yield will be identical.

 

  EXPENSE RATIO6     
          Net Expense Ratio (Current)7      Gross Expense Ratio (Before Waivers)  
    Shares     0.12      0.14

 

  6    The expense ratio of the Fund is as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus for the Fund and may differ from the expense ratios disclosed on the Financial Highlights in this report.

 

  7    The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve an effective net management fee rate of 0.12% as an annual percentage rate of average daily net assets of the Fund. This arrangement will remain in effect through at least July 31, 2018, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

 

  TOP TEN HOLDINGS AS OF 8/31/178
     Holding   Maturity Date        % of Net Assets
  U.S. Treasury Bill, Series 1, 1.03%     11/30/17        24.6%
  U.S. Treasury Bill, Series 11, 1.07%     11/24/17        13.8
  U.S. Treasury Note, 0.88%     1/15/18        11.0
  U.S. Treasury Note, 1.00%     02/15/18        10.2
  U.S. Treasury Note, 2.63%     04/30/18          6.9
  U.S. Treasury Bill, Series 28, 1.13%     12/28/17          5.7
  U.S. Treasury Note, 0.75%     10/31/17          5.5
  U.S. Treasury Note, 0.88%     7/15/18          4.9
  U.S. Treasury Note, 1.00%     12/15/17          4.7
  U.S. Treasury Note, 1.00%     3/15/18          4.4
    Other                8.3

 

  8    The top 10 holdings may not be representative of the Fund’s future investments.

 

8


GOLDMAN SACHS TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF

 

Performance Summary

August 31, 2017

 

The following graph shows the value, as of August 31, 2017, of a $10,000 investment made on September 6, 2016 (commencement of operations) in Shares at NAV. For comparative purposes, the performance of the Fund’s underlying index, the Citi US Treasury 0-1 Year Composite Select Index is shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations may cause an investor’s shares to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. In addition to the performance of constituents of the underlying index, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and creation and redemption in-kind transactions.

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF’s Lifetime Performance

Performance of a $10,000 investment, with distributions reinvested, from September 6, 2016 through August 31, 2017.

 

LOGO

 

Average Annual Total Return through August 31, 2017    Since Inception

Shares based on NAV (Commenced September 6, 2016)

   0.53%*

 

  

 

 

*   Total return for periods of less than one year represents cumulative total return.

 

9


GOLDMAN SACHS TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF

 

Schedule of Investments

August 31, 2017

 

Principal
Amount
    Interest
Rate(a)
    Maturity
Date
    Value  
U.S. Treasury Notes – 55.7%  
 

U.S. Treasury Notes

 
$ 44,674,600       0.750     10/31/17     $ 44,651,995  
  38,446,500       1.000     12/15/17       38,437,450  
  90,004,800       0.875     01/15/18       89,926,532  
  82,818,900       1.000     02/15/18       82,770,096  
  36,100,500       1.000     03/15/18       36,071,591  
  55,611,200       2.625     04/30/18       56,127,124  
  33,508,000       1.000     05/15/18       33,466,115  
  32,662,000       1.125     06/15/18       32,633,931  
  40,114,600       0.875     07/15/18       39,995,510  

 

 

 
  TOTAL U.S. TREASURY NOTES  
  (Cost $454,026,997)     $ 454,080,344  

 

 

 
     
U.S. Treasury Bills – 44.1%  
 

U.S. Treasury Bills

 
$ 3,461,000       1.011 %     11/24/17     $ 3,453,232  
  10,383,000       1.015     11/24/17       10,359,697  
  1,384,600       1.039     11/24/17       1,381,493  
  2,076,600       1.041     11/24/17       2,071,940  
  11,075,200       1.054     11/24/17       11,050,344  
  511,800       1.055     11/24/17       510,651  
  9,724,200       1.057     11/24/17       9,702,376  
  22,007,400       1.060     11/24/17       21,958,009  
  18,932,900       1.061     11/24/17       18,890,409  
  24,000,000       1.067     11/24/17       23,946,137  
  1,085,800       1.068     11/24/17       1,083,363  
  2,558,700       1.073     11/24/17       2,552,958  
  511,800       1.080     11/24/17       510,651  
  5,118,000       1.084     11/24/17       5,106,514  
  201,407,300       1.032     11/30/17       200,909,786  
  4,273,500       1.004     12/28/17       4,259,613  
  1,424,500       1.025     12/28/17       1,419,871  
  854,700       1.049     12/28/17       851,923  
  4,558,400       1.064     12/28/17       4,543,587  
  569,800       1.073     12/28/17       567,949  
  569,800       1.083       12/28/17       567,948  
  284,900       1.091     12/28/17       283,974  
  200,000       1.102     12/28/17       199,350  
  849,900       1.112     12/28/17       847,138  
  5,382,700       1.113     12/28/17       5,365,208  
  600,000       1.123     12/28/17       598,050  
  2,778,000       1.126     12/28/17       2,768,973  
  22,220,300       1.127     12/28/17       22,148,093  
  1,866,100       1.139     12/28/17       1,860,036  

 

 

 
  TOTAL U.S. TREASURY BILLS  
  (Cost $359,725,165)     $ 359,769,273  

 

 

 
  TOTAL INVESTMENTS – 99.8%  
  (Cost $813,752,162)     $ 813,849,617  

 

 

 
 

OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF

    LIABILITIES – 0.2%

 

 

    1,979,649  

 

 

 
  NET ASSETS – 100.0%     $ 815,829,266  

 

 

 

 

The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets.

(a)

  Interest rates represent either the stated coupon rate, annualized yield on date of purchase for discounted securities, or, for floating rate securities, the current reset rate, which is based upon current interest rate indices.

 

10   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

August 31, 2017

 

        TreasuryAccess
0-1 Year ETF
 
  Assets:  
 

Investments at value (cost $813,752,162 )

  $ 813,849,617  
 

Cash

    889,269  
 

Receivables:

 
 

Investments sold

    54,925,449  
 

Interest

    1,300,004  
 

Reimbursement from advisor

    13,216  
  Total assets     870,977,555  
   
  Liabilities:  
 

Payables:

 
 

Management fees

    92,327  
 

Fund shares redeemed

    55,055,962  
  Total liabilities     55,148,289  
   
  Net Assets:  
 

Paid-in capital

    815,104,593  
 

Undistributed net investment income

    630,411  
 

Accumulated net realized loss

    (3,193
 

Net unrealized gain

    97,455  
  NET ASSETS   $ 815,829,266  
  SHARES ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING  
 

Shares outstanding no par value (unlimited shares authorized):

    8,150,000  
 

Net asset value per share:

  $ 100.10  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   11


GOLDMAN SACHS TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF

 

Statement of Operations

For the period ended August 31, 2017(1)

 

            
TreasuryAccess
0-1 Year ETF
 
  Investment income:  
 

Interest

  $ 1,399,169  
  Total investment income     1,399,169  
   
  Expenses:  
 

Management fees

    165,984  
 

Trustee fees

    38,261  
  Total expenses     204,245  
 

Less — expense reductions

    (20,089
  Net expenses     184,156  
  NET INVESTMENT INCOME     1,215,013  
   
  Realized and unrealized gain:  
 

Net realized gain from:

 
 

Investments

    535  
 

In-kind redemptions

    11,972  
 

Net unrealized gain on:

 
 

Investments

    97,455  
  Net realized and unrealized gain     109,962  
  NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS   $ 1,324,975  

 

  (1)   For the period September 6, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

12   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF

 

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

For the period ended August 31, 2017(1)

 

       

TreasuryAccess
0-1 Year ETF

 
  From operations:  
 

Net investment income

  $ 1,215,013  
 

Net realized gain

    12,507  
 

Net change in unrealized gain

    97,455  
  Net increase in net assets resulting from operations     1,324,975  
   
 

From net investment income

    (588,728
  Total distributions to shareholders     (588,728
   
  From share transactions:  
 

Proceeds from sales of shares

    870,148,982  
 

Cost of shares redeemed

    (55,055,963
  Net increase in net assets resulting from share transactions     815,093,019  
  TOTAL INCREASE     815,829,266  
   
  Net assets:  
 

Beginning of period

  $  
 

End of period

  $ 815,829,266  
  Undistributed net investment income   $ 630,411  

 

  (1)   For the period September 6, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.   13


GOLDMAN SACHS TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF

 

Financial Highlights

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout The Period

 

        TreasuryAccess
0-1 Year ETF*
 
  Per Share Operating Performance:  
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 100.00  
 

Net investment income(a)

    0.82  
 

Net realized and unrealized loss

    (0.29
 

Total gain from investment operations

    0.53  
 

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income

    (0.43
 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 100.10  
 

Market price, end of period

  $ 100.10  
  Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)     0.53
 

Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)

  $ 815,829  
 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

    0.13 %(c) 
 

Ratio of total expenses to average net assets

    0.14 %(c) 
 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets

    0.83 %(c) 
 

Portfolio turnover rate(d)

   

 

   *   For the period September 6, 2016 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2017.
  (a)   Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
  (b)   Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
  (c)   Annualized.
  (d)   The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.

 

14   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements

August 31, 2017

 

1. ORGANIZATION

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF (the “Fund”) is a series of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (the “Trust”) which is an open-end diversified management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), consisting of multiple series. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 2009.

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fee and expenses, to the performance of the Citi US Treasury 0-1 Year Composite Select Index (the “Index”).

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (formerly, Goldman, Sachs & Co.) (“Goldman Sachs”), serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to a management agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Trust. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). Market prices for the Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund issues and redeems shares at its respective NAV only in blocks of a specified number of shares, or multiples thereof, referred to as “Creation Units”. Creation Units are issued and redeemed principally in-kind for a basket of securities and a cash amount. Shares generally trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit at market prices that change throughout the day. Only those that have entered into an authorized participant agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) may do business directly with the Fund.

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and require management to make estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.

A.  Investment Valuation — The Fund’s valuation policy is to value investments at fair value.

B.  Investment Income and Investments — Interest income is accrued daily and adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Investment transactions are reflected on trade date. Realized gains and losses are calculated using identified cost.

C.  Expenses — Expenses incurred directly by the Fund are charged to the Fund, and certain expenses incurred by the Trust that may not solely relate to the Fund are allocated to the Fund and the other applicable funds of the Trust on a straight-line and/or pro-rata basis, depending upon the nature of the expenses, and are accrued daily.

D.  Federal Taxes and Distributions to Shareholders — It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies (mutual funds) and to distribute each year substantially all of its investment company taxable income and capital gains to its shareholders. Accordingly, the Fund is not required to make any provisions for the payment of federal income tax. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income and capital gains distributions, if any, are declared and paid according to the following schedule:

 

Fund        

Income Distributions

Declared/Paid

  

Capital Gains Distributions

Declared/Paid

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

       Monthly    Annually

Net capital losses, if any, are carried forward to future fiscal years and may be used to the extent allowed by the Code to offset any future capital gains. Losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. Utilization of capital loss carryforwards will reduce the requirement of future capital gains distributions.

The characterization of distributions to shareholders for financial reporting purposes is determined in accordance with federal income tax rules, which may differ from GAAP. The source of the Fund’s distributions may be shown in the accompanying financial statements as either from net investment income, net realized gain or capital. Certain components of the Fund’s net assets on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities reflect permanent GAAP/tax differences based on the appropriate tax character.

 

15


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

 

U.S. GAAP defines the fair value of a financial instrument as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price); the Fund’s policy is to use the market approach. GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The levels used for classifying investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in these investments. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

Level 2 — Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, volatility and credit spreads), either directly or indirectly;

Level 3 — Prices or valuations that require significant unobservable inputs (including GSAM’s assumptions in determining fair value measurement).

Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the hierarchy. In accordance with the Fund’s policy, transfers between different levels of the fair value hierarchy resulting from such changes are deemed to have occurred as of the beginning of the reporting period.

The Board of Trustees (“Trustees”) has approved Valuation Procedures that govern the valuation of the portfolio investments held by the Fund, including investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Trustees have delegated to GSAM day-to-day responsibility for implementing and maintaining internal controls and procedures related to the valuation of the Fund’s investments. To assess the continuing appropriateness of pricing sources and methodologies, GSAM regularly performs price verification procedures and issues challenges as necessary to third party pricing vendors or brokers, and any differences are reviewed in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

A.  Level 1 and Level 2 Fair Value Investments — The valuation techniques and significant inputs used in determining the fair values for investments classified as Level 1 and Level 2 are as follows:

i  Debt Securities — Debt securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued daily on the basis of quotations supplied by dealers or an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which consider: (i) yield or price with respect to bonds that are considered comparable in characteristics such as rating, interest rate and maturity date or (ii) quotations from securities dealers to determine current value. With the exception of treasury securities of G8 countries, which are generally classified as Level 1, these investments are generally classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

B.  Level 3 Fair Value Investments — To the extent that significant inputs to valuation models and other alternative pricing sources are unobservable, or if quotations are not readily available, or if GSAM believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Fund’s investments may be determined under Valuation Procedures approved by the Trustees. GSAM, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may make an adjustment to the most recent valuation prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining the Fund’s NAV. Significant events which could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions; or unscheduled market closings. Significant events which could also affect a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; ratings downgrades; and bankruptcies. At August 31, 2017 the Fund did not hold Level 3 securities.

 

16


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

 

3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued)

 

C.  Fair Value Hierarchy — The following is a summary of the Fund’s investments classified in the fair value hierarchy as of August 31, 2017:

 

TREASURYACCESS 0-1 YEAR ETF   
Investment Type    Level 1        Level 2        Level 3  
Assets(a)             

US Government

   $ 813,849,617        $         —        $         —  
Total    $ 813,849,617        $        $  

 

(a)   Amounts are disclosed by asset type, please refer to the Schedule of Investments for more detail.

 

4. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

A.  Management Agreement — Under the Agreement, GSAM manages the Fund, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees.

As compensation for the services rendered pursuant to the Agreement, the assumption of the expenses related thereto and administration of the Fund’s business affairs, including providing facilities, GSAM is entitled to a management fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, equal to an annual percentage rate of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Fund operates under a unitary management fee structure. Under the unitary fee structure, GSAM is responsible for paying substantially all the expenses of the Fund, excluding payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses. As the Fund directly pays fees and expenses of the independent Trustees, the management fee collected by GSAM will be reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the Fund to the independent Trustees.

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, contractual and effective net unitary management fees with GSAM were at the following rates:

 

Contractual Unitary Management Fee        Effective Net Unitary Management Fee *  
  0.14%          0.13%  

 

*   Effective Net Unitary Management Fee includes the impact of management fee waivers, if any.

Effective July 12, 2017, the Investment Adviser agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve an effective net management fee rate of 0.12% as an annual percentage rate of average daily net assets of the Fund. This arrangement will remain in effect through at least July 31, 2018, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, GSAM waived $20,089 of the Fund’s management fee.

B.  Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plans — The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”), subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of the Fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees.

C.  Other Transactions with Affiliates — As of August 31, 2017, the Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund was the beneficial owner of 6% of total outstanding shares of the Fund.

 

 

17


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

5. CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS

 

The Trust issues and redeems shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without an initial sales load, at NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined in the Statement of Additional Information), of an order in proper form. Shares of the Fund may only be purchased or redeemed by certain financial institutions (each an “Authorized Participant”). An Authorized Participant is either (1) a “Participating Party” or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation; or (2) a Depository Trust Company participant; which, in either case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor. Retail investors will typically not qualify as an Authorized Participant or have the resources to buy and sell whole Creation Units. Therefore, they will be unable to purchase or redeem the shares directly from the Fund. Rather, most retail investors will purchase shares in the secondary market at market prices with the assistance of a broker and may be subject to customary brokerage commissions or fees. Fixed creation and redemption transaction fees are imposed in connection with creations and redemptions.

Authorized Participants transacting in Creation Units for cash may also pay a variable charge to compensate the Fund for certain transaction costs (e.g. taxes on currency or other financial transactions, and brokerage costs) and market impact expenses relating to investing in portfolio securities. Such variable charges, if any, are included in “Proceeds from sale of shares” in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets.

Share activity is as follows:

 

         TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF  
         Shares        Dollars  

Fund Share Activity(1)

         

Shares Sold

       8,700,000        $ 870,148,982  

Shares Redeemed

         (550,000        (55,055,963

NET INCREASE IN SHARES

         8,150,000        $ 815,093,019  

 

(1)   For the period September 6, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017

 

6. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS

The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales and maturities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

       $ 755,052,094        $ 754,211,747  

The proceeds from in-kind creation and redemption transactions for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, were as follows:

 

Fund         Purchases        Sales  

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

       $ 867,354,907        $ 54,925,450  

 

7. TAX INFORMATION

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017 was as follows:

        TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF  

Distributions paid from:

    

Ordinary Income*

     $ 588,728  

Total taxable distributions

     $ 588,728  

 

*   For tax purposes short-term capital gain distributions are considered ordinary income distributions.

 

18


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

 

7. TAX INFORMATION (continued)

 

As of August 31, 2017, the components of accumulated earnings (losses) on a tax-basis were as follows:

      TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF  

Undistributed ordinary income — net

   $ 630,411  

Total undistributed earnings

   $ 630,411  

Unrealized gains (losses) — net

   $ 94,262  

Total accumulated earnings (losses) net

   $ 724,673  

As of August 31, 2017, the Fund’s aggregate security unrealized gains and losses based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

      TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF  

Tax Cost

   $ 813,755,355  

Gross unrealized gain

     96,029  

Gross unrealized loss

     (1,767

Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities

   $ 94,262  

The difference between GAAP-basis and tax-basis unrealized gains (losses) is attributable primarily to wash sales.

In order to present certain components of the Fund’s capital accounts on a tax-basis, certain reclassifications have been recorded to the Fund’s accounts. These reclassifications have no impact on the NAV of the Fund and result primarily from Redemptions In-Kind.

Fund         Paid-in
Capital
       Accumulated
Net Realized
Gain (Loss)
       Undistributed
Net Investment
Income (Loss)
 

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

       $ 11,574        $ (15,700      $ 4,126  

GSAM has reviewed the Fund’s tax positions for all open tax years (the current year) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. Such open tax year remains subject to examination and adjustment by tax authorities.

 

8. OTHER RISKS

The Fund’s risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Interest Rate Risk — When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. The risks associated with increasing rates are heightened given that interest rates are near historic lows, but may be expected to increase in the future with unpredictable effects on the markets and the Fund’s investments. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by the Fund.

Index Risk — FTSE Fixed Income LLC (the “Index Provider”) constructs the Fund’s Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in its Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could

 

19


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Notes to Financial Statements (continued)

August 31, 2017

 

8. OTHER RISKS (continued)

 

have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of such third party data. The Index is new and has a limited performance history. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

Market and Credit Risks — In the normal course of business, the Fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk). Additionally, the Fund may also be exposed to credit risk in the event that an issuer or guarantor fails to perform or that an institution or entity with which the Fund has unsettled or open transactions defaults.

Market Trading Risk — The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The Investment Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund’s Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time.

Tracking Error Risk — Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of its Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to its Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

 

9. INDEMNIFICATIONS

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, its Trustees, officers, employees and agents are indemnified, to the extent permitted by the Act and state law, against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. Additionally, in the course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that has not yet occurred. However, GSAM believes the risk of loss under these arrangements to be remote.

 

10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Subsequent events after the Statement of Assets and Liabilities date have been evaluated, and GSAM has concluded that there is no impact requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

20


Report of Independent Registered Public

Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Trustees of

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust and Shareholders of the Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF:

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF (the “Fund”), a fund of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, as of August 31, 2017, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for the period September 6, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit, which included confirmation of securities as of August 31, 2017 by correspondence with the custodian provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

October 24, 2017

 

21


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Fund Expenses — Six Months Ended 8/31/2017 (Unaudited)      

 

As a shareholder you incur ongoing costs, which may include management fees; distribution and service (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in Shares of the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other exchange-traded funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period from March 1, 2017 and held for the six months ended August 31, 2017, which represents a period of 184 days of a 365 day year (or less where indicated).

Actual Expenses — The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000=8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes — The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF  
    

Beginning
Account
Value

3/1/2017

    Account
Value
8/31/2017
    Expenses
Paid*
 

Actual based on NAV

  $ 1,000     $ 1,003.20     $ 0.61  

Hypothetical 5% return

  $ 1,000     $ 1,024.60   $ 0.61  

 

  *   Expenses for the Fund are calculated using the Fund’s annualized net expense ratio, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of net assets for the six months ended August 31, 2017. Expenses are calculated by multiplying the annualized net expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the most recent fiscal year; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the fiscal year.  

 

       The annualized net expense ratio for the period is as follows:  

 

Fund        

TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

     0.12

 

  +   Hypothetical expenses are based on the Fund’s actual annualized net expense ratios and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses.  

 

22


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited)

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
 

Other

Directorships
Held by Trustee4

Caroline Dorsa

Age: 58

 

Trustee

 

Since 2016

 

Ms. Dorsa is retired. She was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (a generation and energy services company) (2009-2015); Senior Vice President, Merck & Co, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2008-2009 and 1987-2007); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) (2007-2008); and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Avaya, Inc. (a technology company) (2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21  

Biogen Inc. (a biotechnology company); Intellia Therapeutics Inc. (a gene-editing company); Illumina, Inc. (a life sciences company)

Linda A. Lang

Age: 59

 

Trustee

 

Since 2016

 

Ms. Lang is retired. She is Chair of the Board of Directors (2016-Present); and Member of the Board of Directors, WD-40 Company (2004-Present); and was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (2005-2014); and Director, President and Chief Operating Officer, Jack in the Box, Inc. (a restaurant company) (2003-2005). Previously, Ms. Lang served as an Advisory Board Member of Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund (February 2016-March 2016).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21  

WD-40 Company (a global consumer products company)

Michael Latham

Age: 51

 

Trustee

 

Since 2015

 

Mr. Latham is retired. Formerly, he held senior management positions with the iShares exchange-traded fund business, including Chairman (2011-2014); Global Head (2010-2011); U.S. Head (2007-2010); and Chief Operating Officer (2003-2007).

 

Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21  

None

Lawrence W. Stranghoener

Age: 63

 

Trustee

 

Trustee 
since 2015; Chairman since 2017

 

Mr. Stranghoener is retired. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kennametal, Inc. (2003-Present); Director, Aleris Corporation and Aleris International, Inc. (a producer of aluminum rolled products) (2011-Present); and was formerly Interim Chief Executive Officer (2014); and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2004-2014), Mosaic Company (a fertilizer manufacturing company).

 

Chairman of the Board of Trustees — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  21   Kennametal Inc. (a global manufacturer and distributor of tooling and industrial materials)
         

 

23


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Interested Trustee*

 

 

 

 

Name,

Address and Age1

  Position(s) Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
 

Other

Directorships
Held by Trustee4

James A. McNamara

Age: 54

 

Trustee

 

Since 2014

 

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

  142  

None

         
*   This person is considered to be an “Interested Trustee” because he holds a position with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.
1   Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline L. Kraus. Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns, retires or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust; or (c) the termination of the Trust.
3    The Goldman Sachs Fund Complex includes certain other companies listed above for each respective Trustee. As of August 31, 2017, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust consisted of 19 portfolios (eight of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (88 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 14 portfolios; Goldman Sachs Trust II consisted of 17 portfolios (16 of which offered shares to the public); and Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund, and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund each consisted of one portfolio.
4   This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the Act.

Additional information about the Trustees is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States of America): 1-800-526-7384.

 

24


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Officers of the Trust*

 

 

 

 

Name,
Address and Age1

  Positions Held
with the Trust
  Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served2
  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

James A. McNamara

200 West Street
New York, NY 10282

Age: 54

  Trustee and President   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).

 

President and Trustee — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Caroline L. Kraus

200 West Street
New York, NY 10282

Age: 40

  Secretary   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2015); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012-Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2011); and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (2002-2006).

 

Secretary — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (previously Assistant Secretary (2012)); Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc.; Goldman Sachs Private Middle Market Credit LLC; Goldman Sachs Middle Market Lending Corp.; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Scott M. McHugh

200 West Street
New York, NY 10282

Age: 45

  Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer   Since 2014  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2016-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007-December 2015); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005-2007); and Director (2005-2007), Vice President (2000-2005), and Assistant Vice President (1998-2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998-2007).

 

Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

Joseph F. DiMaria

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 49

  Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer   Since 2017  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2015-Present) and Vice President — Mutual Fund Administration, Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (May 2010-October 2015).

 

Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer — Goldman Sachs ETF Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust; Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust; Goldman Sachs Trust II; Goldman Sachs MLP Income Opportunities Fund; and Goldman Sachs MLP and Energy Renaissance Fund.

     

 

*   Represents a partial list of officers of the Trust. Additional information about all the officers is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States): 1-800-621-2550.
1   Information is provided as of August 31, 2017.
2    Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.

 

Goldman Sachs Treasury Access 0-1 Year ETF — Tax Information (Unaudited)

During the year ended August 31, 2017, 100% of the net investment company taxable income distributions paid by the Fund were designated as either interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends pursuant to Section 871(k) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

25


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETFs — Other Information (Unaudited)

 

Effective from November 1, 2016 and solely for the purpose of marketing the Fund in the United Kingdom (“UK”), Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Investment Adviser”) identified itself as the alternative investment fund manager (“AIFM”) of the Fund. As AIFM, the Investment Adviser is responsible for complying with the UK marketing rules implementing the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (Directive 2011/61/EU) (the “Directive”).

In accordance with these rules, the AIFM is required to make available an Annual Report for the financial year of the Fund, containing certain disclosures as set out in Article 22 and 23 of the Directive. The disclosures set out below are included to satisfy these requirements as they have not been disclosed elsewhere in this Annual Report.

I. Remuneration

The following disclosures are made in accordance with Article 107 of the EU Commission Delegated Regulation C (2012) 8370 in respect of the AIFM, which is part of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (“GS Group”). GS Group’s global remuneration philosophy, structure and process for setting remuneration generally applies to employees of the AIFM in the same manner as other employees globally. References to the “firm” and “we” throughout this disclosure include GS Group and the AIFM and any subsidiaries and affiliates.

a. Remuneration program Philosophy

The remuneration philosophy and the objectives of the remuneration program for the firm, including the AIFM are reflected in GS Group’s Compensation principles as posted on the Goldman Sachs public website (http://www.goldmansachs.com/investor relations/corporate governance/corporate governance-documents/compensation-principles.pdf) which includes the following:

 

  1.   We pay for performance – this is an absolute requirement under our compensation program and inherent in our culture.
  2.   We structure compensation, especially at senior levels, to align with GS Group’s shareholders’ long-term interests.
  3.   We use compensation as an important tool to attract, retain and motivate talent.
  4.   We align total compensation with corporate performance over the period.

 

The AIFM’s remuneration program is intended to be flexible enough to allow responses to changes in market conditions, but grounded in a framework that maintains effective remuneration practices.

b. Remuneration Governance

The planning, implementation and revision of the compensation policy of the AIFM is subject to the oversight of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of GS Group (the “GS Group Compensation Committee”), the ultimate parent of the AIFM.

The members of the GS Group Compensation Committee at the end of 2016 were James A. Johnson (Chair), M. Michele Burns, William W. George, Ellen J. Kullman, Lakshmi N. Mittal, Debora L. Spar, and Adebayo O. Ogunlesi (ex-officio). None of the members of the GS Group Compensation Committee were an employee of the firm. All members of the GS Group Compensation Committee were “independent” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange Rules and the firm’s Director Independence Policy.

The GS Group Compensation Committee has for several years recognised the importance of using an independent remuneration consultant that is appropriately qualified and that provides services solely to the GS Group Compensation Committee and not to the firm. The GS Group Compensation Committee continued to retain Semler Brossy Consulting Group LLC (Semler Brossy) as its independent remuneration consultant in 2016.

GS Group’s global process for setting variable remuneration (including the requirement to consider risk and compliance issues) applies to employees of the AIFM in the same way as to employees of other entities and in other regions and is subject to oversight by the senior management of the firm in the region.

c. Link Between Pay and Performance

Annual remuneration for employees is generally comprised of fixed and variable remuneration. The AIFM’s remuneration practices provide for variable remuneration determinations to be made on a discretionary basis. Variable remuneration is based on multiple factors and is not set as a fixed percentage of revenue or by reference to any other formula. Firmwide performance is a key factor in determining variable remuneration.

 

26


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETFs — Other Information (Unaudited) (continued)

 

d. Performance Measurement

Year-end variable remuneration is determined through a discretionary process that relies on certain qualitative and quantitative metrics (amongst other factors) against which we assess performance at year-end. We do not set specific goals, targets or other objectives for purposes of determining year-end variable remuneration nor do we set an initial remuneration pool that is adjusted for any such goals, targets or other objectives. Such metrics are not formulaic nor given any specific weight. In addition, employees are evaluated annually as part of the “360 degree” feedback process.

e. Risk Adjustment

Prudent risk management is a hallmark of both the firm’s and AIFM’s culture and sensitivity to risk and risk management are key elements in assessing employee performance, including as part of the “360 degree” feedback process noted above.

We take risk into account in setting the amount and form of variable remuneration for employees. We provide guidelines to assist compensation managers when applying discretion during the remuneration process to promote consistent consideration of the different metrics/factors considered during the remuneration process. Further, to ensure the independence of control function employees, remuneration for those employees is not determined by individuals in revenue-producing positions but rather by the management of the relevant control function.

f. Structure of Remuneration

 

  1.   Fixed Remuneration
  2.   Variable Remuneration: For employees with total and variable remuneration above a specific threshold, variable remuneration is generally paid in a combination of cash and equity-based remuneration. In general, the portion paid in the form of an equity-based award increases as variable remuneration increases and, for AIFM Remuneration Code Staff, is set to ensure compliance with Principle 5 (e) and (f) of the AIFM Remuneration Code.

g. Total Remuneration

Staff remuneration for the financial period ending December 31, 2016:

 

Total remuneration for the financial year ending
December 31, 2016 paid by the AIFM to 12 staff in respect of
the management of the assets of the Fund

  

US$56,089, made up of:

• US$28,088 fixed remuneration
• US$28,001 variable remuneration

Which includes:

(a)    Remuneration paid by the AIFM to senior management

   US$30,000

(b)   Remuneration paid by the AIFM to other staff members whose actions have a material impact on the risk profile of the Fund

   US$0

The remuneration figures above:

  1.   relate to the proportion of time spent by those staff on the management of the assets of the Fund;
  2.   relate to the portion of the year for which the Fund were subject to the Directive; and
  3.   do not include figures for those staff whose activities may impact the Fund but who provide services through other affiliates of the AIFM.

II. Risk Management

The current risk profile of the Fund and the risk management framework employed by the AIFM to manage those risks are outlined in the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information. The Investment Adviser’s risk management function will seek to ensure that the risk profile disclosed to investors is consistent with applicable risk limits, monitor compliance with those risk limits, promptly notify the risk management component of the portfolio management team managing the portfolio of any inconsistency, or risk or inconsistency, between the risk profile and risk limits.

 

27


GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST

 

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETFs — Other Information (Unaudited) (continued)

 

III. Material Changes

Article 22 of the Directive requires disclosure of any material changes in the information listed in Article 23 of the Directive.

In respect of the period ended December 31, 2016, there have been no material changes to the information listed in Article 23 of the Directive.

 

28


FUNDS PROFILE

 

Goldman Sachs ETFs

 

LOGO

 

Goldman Sachs is a premier financial services firm, known since 1869 for creating thoughtful and customized investment solutions in complex global markets.

Today, the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs serves a diverse set of clients worldwide, including private institutions, public entities and individuals. With approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under supervision as of June 30, 2017, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (“GSAM”) has portfolio management teams located around the world and our investment professionals bring firsthand knowledge of local markets to every investment decision. Assets under supervision includes assets under management and other client assets for which Goldman Sachs does not have full discretion. GSAM leverages the resources of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC subject to legal, internal and regulatory restrictions.

 

GOLDMAN SACHS EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
Goldman Sachs Access High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Europe Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Japan Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

 

INDEX DISCLAIMERS

The Index was developed and is calculated and maintained by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” or the “Index Provider”). FTSE is not affiliated with the Fund or GSAM. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by FTSE or any of its affiliates and FTSE makes no representation to any owner or prospective owner of the Fund regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly, or the ability of the Fund to track the price and yield performance of the Index or the ability of the Index to track general bond market performance. FTSE’s only relationship to GSAM (“Licensee”) is the licensing of certain information, data, trademarks and trade names of FTSE or its affiliates. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by FTSE without regard to the Fund. FTSE has no obligation to take the needs of the owners or prospective owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. FTSE is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of the shares to be issued by the Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of the shares to be issued by the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares to be issued by the Fund are to be converted into cash. FTSE has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

FTSE DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN, OR OF ANY COMMUNICATIONS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO, AND FTSE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR DELAYS THEREIN. FTSE MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, OWNERS OR PROSPECTIVE OWNERS OF SHARES OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. FTSE MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL FTSE HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE.

Data and information contained herein regarding the Index is proprietary to FTSE or its licensors, and reproduction of such data and information is prohibited except with the prior written permission of FTSE. CITI is a trademark and service mark of Citigroup Inc. or its affiliates, is used and registered throughout the world, and is used under license for certain purposes by GSAM. The CITI mark is used under license by FTSE.

The ActiveBeta® Indices are trademarks of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and have been licensed for use by Goldman Sachs ETF Trust.


TRUSTEES

Lawrence W. Stranghoener, Chairman

Caroline Dorsa

Linda A. Lang

Michael Latham

James A. McNamara

 

OFFICERS

James A. McNamara, President

Scott M. McHugh, Treasurer, Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer

Joseph F. DiMaria, Assistant Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer

Caroline L. Kraus, Secretary

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

Transfer Agent

 

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.

Investment Adviser

ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

Distributor

 

Visit our Website at www.GSAMFUNDS.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282

The reports concerning the Fund included in this shareholder report may contain certain forward-looking statements about the factors that may affect the performance of the Fund in the future. These statements are based on Fund management’s predictions and expectations concerning certain future events and their expected impact on the Fund, such as performance of the economy as a whole and of specific industry sectors, changes in the levels of interest rates, the impact of developing world events, and other factors that may influence the future performance of the Fund. Management believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, although they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual events may cause adjustments in portfolio management strategies from those currently expected to be employed.

A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available (i) without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-621-2550; and (ii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC’’) web site at http://www.sec.gov.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Qs. The Fund’s Form N-Qs are available on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov within 60 days after the Fund’s first and third fiscal quarters. The Fund’s Form N-Qs may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may also be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Form N-Qs may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-621-2550.

Fund holdings and allocations shown are as of August 31, 2017 and may not be representative of future investments. Fund holdings should not be relied on in making investment decisions and should not be construed as research or investment advice regarding particular securities. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.

ETF Fund shares are not individually redeemable and are issued and redeemed by the Fund at their net asset value (“NAV”) only in large, specified blocks of shares called creation units. Shares otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading at market price (not NAV). Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

The Fund is recently organized and has limited operating history.

Economic and market forecasts presented herein reflect our judgment as of the date of this presentation and are subject to change without notice. These forecasts do not take into account the specific investment objectives, restrictions, tax and financial situation or other needs of any specific client. Actual data will vary and may not be reflected here. These forecasts are subject to high levels of uncertainty that may affect actual performance. Accordingly, these forecasts should be viewed as merely representative of a broad range of possible outcomes. These forecasts are estimated, based on assumptions, and are subject to significant revision and may change materially as economic and market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to these forecasts. Case studies and examples are for illustrative purposes only.

THIS MATERIAL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS PROVIDED SOLELY ON THE BASIS THAT IT WILL NOT CONSTITUTE INVESTMENT OR OTHER ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION RELATING TO ANY PERSON’S OR PLAN’S INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS, AND GOLDMAN SACHS IS NOT A FIDUCIARY OR ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO ANY PERSON OR PLAN BY REASON OF PROVIDING THE MATERIAL OR CONTENT HEREIN INCLUDING UNDER THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974 OR DEPARTMENT OF LABOR REGULATIONS. PLAN SPONSORS AND OTHER FIDUCIARIES SHOULD CONSIDER THEIR OWN CIRCUMSTANCES IN ASSESSING ANY POTENTIAL COURSE OF ACTION.

This material is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by a current Prospectus or summary prospectus, if applicable. Investors should consider the Fund’s objective, risks, and charges and expenses, and read the summary prospectus, if available, and/or the Prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The summary prospectus, if available, and the Prospectus contain this and other information about a Fund and may be obtained from your authorized dealer or from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC by calling 1-800-621-2550.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. is the distributor of the Goldman Sachs ETF Funds. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is unaffiliated with Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

© 2017 Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved. 107126-TMPL-10/2017-630980 TREACCESSAR-17/GST528/1491


ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

(a) As of the end of the period covered by this report, the registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions, regardless of whether these individuals are employed by the registrant or a third party (the “Code of Ethics”).

(b) During the period covered by this report, no amendments were made to the provisions of the Code of Ethics.

(c) During the period covered by this report, the registrant did not grant any waivers, including an implicit waiver, from any provision of the Code of Ethics.

(d) A copy of the Code of Ethics is available as provided in Item 12(a)(1) of this report.

 

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

The registrant’s board of trustees has determined that the registrant has at least one “audit committee financial expert” (as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR) serving on its audit committee. Caroline Dorsa is the “audit committee financial expert” and is “independent” (as each term is defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR).

 

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

Table 1 — Items 4(a) - 4(d). The accountant fees below reflect the aggregate fees billed by the Funds of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust to which this certified shareholder report relates.

 

                 2017                            2016                Description of Services Rendered
    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

Audit Fees:

            
• PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
(“PwC”)
         $ 212,675              $ 162,000        Financial Statement audits.

Audit-Related Fees:

            

• PwC

         $ 12,909              $ —       

Tax Fees:

            

• PwC

         $ 47,752              $ 45,352        Tax compliance services provided in connection with the preparation and review of registrant’s tax returns.

Table 2 — Items 4(b)(c) & (d). Non-Audit Services to the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust’s service affiliates * that were pre-approved by the Audit Committee of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust pursuant to Rule 2-01(c)(7)(ii) of Regulation S-X.

 

                 2017                            2016                Description of Services Rendered
    

 

 

      

 

 

    

 

Audit-Related Fees:

            

• PwC

         $          $   

 

 

* These include the advisor (excluding sub-advisors) and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the advisor that provides ongoing services to the registrant (hereinafter referred to as “service affiliates”).

Item 4(e)(1) — Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services Provided to the Funds of the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust. The Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy (the “Policy”) adopted by the Audit Committee of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust (“GS ETF”) sets forth the procedures and the conditions pursuant to which services performed by an independent auditor for GS ETF may be pre-approved. Services may be pre-approved specifically by the Audit Committee as a whole or, in certain circumstances, by the Audit Committee Chairman or the person designated as the Audit Committee Financial Expert. In addition, subject to specified cost limitations, certain services may be pre-approved under the provisions of the Policy. The Policy provides that the Audit Committee will consider whether the services provided by an independent auditor are consistent with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules on auditor independence. The Policy provides for periodic review and pre-approval by the Audit Committee of the services that may be provided by the independent auditor.

De Minimis Waiver. The pre-approval requirements of the Policy may be waived with respect to the provision of non-audit services that are permissible for an independent auditor to perform, provided (1) the aggregate amount of all such services provided constitutes no more than five percent of the total amount of revenues subject to pre-approval that was paid to the independent auditors during the fiscal year in which the services are provided; (2) such services were not recognized by GS ETF at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and (3) such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Audit Committee and approved prior to the completion of the audit by the Audit Committee or by one or more members of the Audit Committee to whom authority to grant such approvals has been delegated by the Audit Committee, pursuant to the pre-approval provisions of the Policy.

Pre-Approval of Non-Audit Services Provided to the Goldman Sachs ETF Trust’s Investment Advisers. The Policy provides that, in addition to requiring pre-approval of audit and non-audit services provided to GS ETF, the Audit Committee will pre-approve those non-audit services provided to GS ETF’s investment advisers (and entities controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment advisers that provide ongoing services to GS ETF) where the engagement relates directly to the operations or financial reporting of GS ETF.

Item 4(e)(2) – 0% of the audit-related fees, tax fees and other fees listed in Table 1 were approved by GS ETF’s Audit Committee pursuant to the “de minimis” exception of Rule 2-01(c)(7)(i)(C) of Regulation S-X. In addition, 0% of the non-audit services to the GS ETF’s service affiliates listed in Table 2 were approved by GS ETF’s Audit Committee pursuant to the “de minimis” exception of Rule 2-01(c)(7)(i)(C) of Regulation S-X.

Item 4(f) – Not applicable.

Item 4(g) Aggregate Non-Audit Fees Disclosure

The aggregate non-audit fees billed to GS ETF by PwC for the twelve months ended August 31, 2017 and August 31, 2016 were approximately $60,661 and $45,352 respectively. The aggregate non-audit fees billed to GS ETF’s adviser and service affiliates by PwC for non-audit services for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 were approximately $11.4 million and $14.4 million respectively. With regard to the aggregate non-audit fees billed to GS ETF’s adviser and service affiliates, the 2016 and 2015 amounts include fees for non-audit services required to be pre-approved [see Table 2] and fees for non-audit services that did not require pre-approval since they did not directly relate to GS ETF’s operations or financial reporting.

Item 4(h) — GS ETF’s Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of non-audit services to GS ETF’s investment adviser and service affiliates that did not require pre-approval pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the auditors’ independence.

 


ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

 

     The Registrant has a separately-designated standing Audit Committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The members of the Audit Committee are Michael Latham, Linda A. Lang, Lawrence W. Stranghoener, and Caroline Dorsa, each a Trustee of the Registrant.

 

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

 

     Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Shareholders filed under Item 1.

 

ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

     Not applicable.

 

ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

     Not applicable.

 

ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

 

     Not applicable.


ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

 

     There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s board of trustees.

 

ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

 

  (a) The registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

  (b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the registrant’s second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 12. EXHIBITS.

 

(a)(1)      Goldman Sachs ETF Trust’s Code of Ethics for Principal Executive and Senior Financial Officers is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 12(a)(1) of the registrant’s Form N-CSR filed on October 31, 2016.
(a)(2)    Exhibit 99.CERT    Certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 filed herewith.
(b)    Exhibit 99.906CERT                        Certifications pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 filed herewith.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

    Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
By:   /s/ James A. McNamara
 

 

 

 

James A. McNamara

  President/Chief Executive Officer
  Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Date:     October 31, 2017

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:   /s/ James A. McNamara
 

 

 

 

James A. McNamara

  President/Chief Executive Officer
  Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Date:     October 31, 2017
By:   /s/ Scott McHugh
 

 

 

 

Scott McHugh

  Principal Financial Officer
  Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Date:     October 31, 2017