Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL is ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer cut its Alphabet stake by 3.2% in the fourth quarter but still held 1,044,523 shares worth about $326.9 million, making Alphabet its 4th largest position.
• Alphabet posted strong quarterly results, with $5.11 EPS versus $2.64 expected and revenue of $109.9 billion, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share.
• Wall Street remains upbeat on the stock, with several analysts raising price targets and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy; however, Alphabet still faces antitrust and regulatory risks in the U.S. and Europe.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. trimmed its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,044,523 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 34,405 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises 3.8% of ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $326,930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new position in Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,338,397,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Alphabet by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 528,969,322 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $165,567,398,000 after acquiring an additional 12,531,695 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Alphabet by 28.0% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 53,107,572 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $12,910,542,000 after acquiring an additional 11,605,785 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Alphabet by 15.7% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 50,732,476 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $12,333,076,000 after acquiring an additional 6,874,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Cayman LP raised its position in Alphabet by 23,402.1% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP now owns 6,118,547 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,487,419,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,513 shares in the last quarter. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Price Performance

Alphabet stock opened at $382.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.26. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $162.00 and a 12 month high of $408.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $339.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $322.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.92 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $2.47. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%. On average, analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.41%.

Key Headlines Impacting Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet is being highlighted as a strong AI investment thanks to its vertically integrated AI stack and cloud growth, which some analysts say could help it compete effectively in the booming AI data center market.
• Positive Sentiment: Google rolled out new AI-powered ad products at Marketing Live, including Gemini-based ad formats and AI search checkout tools, which could expand ad monetization and strengthen its core advertising business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Alphabet may invest up to $190 billion by 2026 underscore its aggressive push into AI and infrastructure, signaling continued long-term spending to defend and grow its leadership position.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage suggesting Alphabet has the tools to win the AI race and remains a top-ranked growth stock may be reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s earnings and strategic outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s Waymo unit faced service interruptions in some cities due to flooded roads and construction zones, a reminder that the autonomous driving business still has operational hurdles.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Google’s AI security challenges and its smart-glasses partnerships adds to the long-term innovation story, but these developments are not likely to move the stock immediately.
• Negative Sentiment: The European Union is reportedly preparing to fine Google a high triple-digit million-euro amount as part of an antitrust investigation, increasing regulatory risk for Alphabet’s core business and pressuring sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Google is also appealing a court ruling tied to its search monopoly, keeping antitrust uncertainty alive for investors focused on the durability of its search dominance.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Arete Research lifted their price target on Alphabet from $405.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. China Renaissance lifted their price target on Alphabet from $400.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Alphabet from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Phillip Securities lifted their price target on Alphabet from $340.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Alphabet currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $412.65.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total value of $2,481,078.77. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,293,309.12. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total value of $412,923.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at $995,341.06. This represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061. Insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Alphabet Profile

Alphabet Inc is the holding company created in 2015 to organize Google and a portfolio of businesses developing technologies beyond Google's core internet services. Its principal operations are led by Google, which builds and operates consumer-facing products such as Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Workspace, as well as advertising platforms (Google Ads and AdSense) that historically generate the majority of its revenue. Google also develops consumer hardware (Pixel phones, Nest smart-home devices, Chromecast) and developer and distribution platforms such as Google Play.

Beyond Google's consumer and advertising businesses, Alphabet invests in enterprise and infrastructure offerings through Google Cloud, which provides cloud computing, data analytics and productivity services to businesses and institutions.

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