Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by CCLA Investment Management

Key Points

• CCLA Investment Management trimmed its Alphabet stake by 3.1%, selling 43,976 shares to hold 1,376,508 shares worth $431.9 million, which represents about 6.9% of CCLA’s portfolio and is its largest position.
• Alphabet recently beat quarterly estimates with $2.82 EPS versus $2.59 expected and revenue of $113.83 billion (up 18% YoY), and Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus "Buy" and a $345.71 average target (several firms raising targets toward ~$400).
• Notable trading activity: insiders sold roughly 2.07 million shares (~$104.5 million) over the last 90 days while institutional ownership stands at 27.26%, and Alphabet paid a $0.21 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.84, ~0.3% yield).

CCLA Investment Management decreased its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,376,508 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 43,976 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 6.9% of CCLA Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its largest position. CCLA Investment Management's holdings in Alphabet were worth $431,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GOOG. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 145.0% during the third quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 196 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 56.8% during the third quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 218 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.26% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of GOOG stock opened at $334.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. Alphabet Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.40 and a fifty-two week high of $350.15. The stock's 50-day moving average is $305.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.61. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.13.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. Alphabet had a return on equity of 35.01% and a net margin of 32.81%.The company had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.15 EPS. The business's revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 9th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2017 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 1,845,308 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $35,060,852.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,987,279.15. The trade was a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,068,744 shares of company stock worth $104,505,914. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets highlight Alphabet’s large payoff potential from its early SpaceX stake, which investors view as a material latent asset that could boost GAAP value if SpaceX goes public. Alphabet (GOOGL) Could Score a $100B+ Payday from SpaceX IPO
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage emphasizes the same theme — Google’s SpaceX stake could be worth more than most public companies, a narrative that supports a higher valuation multiple for GOOG. Google's stake in SpaceX could be worth more than most companies on the planet
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street momentum: analysts have raised targets and put Alphabet on catalyst watches ahead of events and Q1 earnings, fueling bullish positioning. Alphabet Stock (GOOGL) Opinions on Analyst Price Target Increases
• Positive Sentiment: Citi boosted its price target and kept a Buy rating ahead of Q1, reinforcing the buy-side narrative into earnings and product events. Wall Street sets Google stock price target for the next 12 months
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial AI traction: new partnerships and product launches (Cadence optimizing chip design on Google Cloud; Thoma Bravo deal to bring AI to a large software portfolio; Gemini app for Mac; Chrome “AI skills” rollout) strengthen revenue and cloud backlog outlook. Cadence and Google Collaborate to Scale AI-Driven Chip Design with ChipStack AI Super Agent on Google Cloud
• Neutral Sentiment: Some funds trimmed GOOG in recent 13F updates (various institutional sales), which may reflect portfolio rebalancing rather than conviction changes; keep an eye on large-scale flows. Fund Update: Douglas Lane & Associates, LLC Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal risk: Alphabet faces a new antitrust suit from rival app store Aptoide and a separate report of mass arbitration claims tied to ad tech/search rulings — these are headline risks that could pressure sentiment or lead to fines/costs. Google sued by rival app store Aptoide over alleged monopoly
• Negative Sentiment: Large-scale arbitration exposure reported (~$218B) tied to ad tech/search rulings — while the figure is headline-grabbing, resolution outcomes and timing remain uncertain and could create volatility. Alphabet Faces $218 Billion Mass Arbitration Claims Over Ad Tech And Search Rulings
• Negative Sentiment: Competition risk: OpenAI’s move into digital ads is an emerging threat to Google’s core ad franchise and is being watched by investors. OpenAI Pushes Into Digital Ads, Setting Up New Competition with Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta (META)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on GOOG. Raymond James Financial raised Alphabet from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $315.00 to $400.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Alphabet from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $345.71.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc NASDAQ: GOOG is a multinational technology holding company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Formed in 2015 through a corporate restructuring of Google, Alphabet serves as the parent to Google LLC and a portfolio of businesses collectively known as "Other Bets." Google was originally founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Alphabet is led by CEO Sundar Pichai, who oversees Google and the broader company while the founders remain prominent shareholders and influential figures in the company's history.

Alphabet's core business centers on internet search and advertising, with Google Search and the company's ad platforms (including Google Ads and AdSense) generating the majority of revenue by connecting advertisers with consumers worldwide.

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