Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its Alphabet stake by 7.1% in the first quarter, selling 8,302 shares and leaving it with 108,981 shares valued at about $31.3 million.
• Alphabet continues to attract broad analyst support, with several firms raising price targets and an overall consensus rating of Buy; Wedbush, for example, set a $445 target. The company also reported strong last-quarter results, beating EPS and revenue estimates.
• Despite the positive outlook, Alphabet faces regulatory and legal pressure, including an EU order to open Android and search data to rivals and fresh securities-fraud scrutiny, which could weigh on sentiment.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 7.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,981 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 8,302 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Alphabet were worth $31,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Alphabet during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 134 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains broadly bullish, with multiple firms reiterating buy/outperform ratings and several raising price targets, including Wedbush’s $445 target, signaling continued confidence in Alphabet’s long-term earnings power and AI/cloud growth. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Alphabet could beat estimates on strong cloud growth and a larger-than-expected value from its Anthropic stake, which supports the bull case ahead of earnings. Proactive Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett publicly said he initiated Berkshire Hathaway’s Alphabet investment and called the stock more likely to be a winner, which adds a high-profile vote of confidence for investors. CNBC
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional filings show major investors like Berkshire Hathaway adding to GOOG/GOOGL positions, reinforcing long-term institutional support for the stock. Quiver Quantitative
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet continues rolling out AI-related product updates, including Google Vids avatar tools and new app integrations in AI Mode, which show product momentum but are unlikely to move the stock on their own. TechCrunch
• Neutral Sentiment: A new lobbying disclosure showed Alphabet spending on privacy, competition, and platform-bias issues, which is routine regulatory activity and not a direct earnings driver. Quiver Quantitative
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union ordered Google to open Android and search data to rival AI and search companies, a regulatory move that could weaken Alphabet’s competitive moat and increase compliance pressure. Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet is also facing fresh legal and investor scrutiny, including a securities-fraud investigation announcement and a report that its AI search tools may pose safety risks for children, both of which add headline risk. Business Wire
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling has been heavy, with no insider purchases in the last six months, which may weigh on sentiment even if the sales are not necessarily a fundamental red flag. Quiver Quantitative

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GOOG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $430.00 price objective on Alphabet in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Pivotal Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $470.00 target price (up from $420.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wedbush began coverage on Alphabet in a report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $445.00 price target for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $383.44.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,998 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $349.29, for a total transaction of $3,142,911.42. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 75,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,298,044.10. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 159,415 shares of company stock valued at $7,672,279 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Stock Performance

NASDAQ GOOG opened at $353.81 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.29 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.50 and a 1-year high of $404.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $367.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.58.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company's revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.81 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 EPS for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is presently 6.71%.

Alphabet Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.