Alphabet Inc. $GOOG Stock Holdings Lessened by Vantage Investment Partners LLC

Key Points

• Vantage Investment Partners LLC cut its Alphabet stake by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, but Alphabet remains its largest holding at 7.7% of portfolio assets, valued at about $115.7 million.
• Alphabet reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $5.11 versus $2.68 expected and revenue of $109.9 billion, up 21.8% year over year. Analysts now have a consensus rating of Buy with an average target price of $372.65.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, while recent news highlighted continued strength in Google Cloud and Waymo, alongside some legal and reputational risks tied to search advertising and an insider-trading case involving a Google engineer.

Vantage Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 368,748 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 21,254 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises approximately 7.7% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Vantage Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Alphabet were worth $115,713,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ring Mountain Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Alphabet by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. lifted its position in Alphabet by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. now owns 1,589 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $499,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. HRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 919 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Alphabet by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,294,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Freedom Capital downgraded Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 target price on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.65.

Alphabet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $376.43 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.23. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $343.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.54. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $404.47.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.68 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The firm's revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost 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 is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is currently 6.41%.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud delivered a standout Q1 result, with revenue up 63% to $20 billion, margin reaching 32.9%, and backlog rising to $462 billion. That reinforces Alphabet’s growing second engine beyond search and supports the bull case for further upside. GOOGL Rides on Surging Google Cloud Demand: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Google Cloud is also getting validation from new enterprise partnerships, including EQT’s rollout to help more than 300 portfolio companies adopt AI using Google Cloud tools. Private equity firm EQT partners with Google Cloud for AI rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Waymo news continues to suggest Alphabet’s autonomous-driving business may be undervalued, with the new Ojai robotaxi designed to lower fleet costs and expand capacity. That strengthens the long-term optionality in Alphabet’s non-advertising businesses. Waymo opens Ojai robotaxis to select riders as company aims to lower cost of fleet
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer was supportive, calling Alphabet a “crucial position” and saying “there’s a lot to like here,” which can help reinforce bullish sentiment among retail investors. Jim Cramer on Alphabet: “There’s a Lot to Like Here”
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares were also mentioned in analyst-style and market commentary framing Alphabet as a core AI and cloud beneficiary, but these pieces were largely reiterations rather than new catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: An Indian court ruling on keyword ads could increase trademark and legal risk for Google’s search advertising business, raising concerns about a core profit driver. Indian court ruling on Google keyword ads could reshape online advertising
• Negative Sentiment: News that a Google engineer was charged in a $1.2 million Polymarket insider-trading case may create a modest reputational overhang, even though it is not a direct business or financial issue for Alphabet. US charges Google engineer with insider trading on Polymarket

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $371.00, for a total value of $37,842.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,908,391. This represents a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 226,369 shares of company stock valued at $27,388,127 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.99% of the company's stock.

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.

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