Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL is Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s 5th Largest Position

Key Points

• Braun Stacey Associates increased its Alphabet stake by 1.5% in the first quarter, bringing holdings to 317,123 shares worth about $91.2 million. Alphabet is now its 5th largest position and makes up roughly 3% of the portfolio.
• Alphabet’s latest earnings beat expectations, with $5.11 EPS versus the $2.64 consensus and revenue of $109.9 billion versus estimates of $106.98 billion. Analysts still expect strong full-year profitability, and the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a $413.54 price target.
• Investors continue to weigh Alphabet’s AI and cloud growth against regulatory risks. Positive coverage centers on Google Cloud momentum and bullish analyst sentiment, while the biggest negative is the EU court upholding Alphabet’s €4.1 billion Android antitrust fine, alongside another sizable Swedish court ruling.

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 317,123 shares of the information services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,793 shares during the period. Alphabet comprises approximately 3.0% of Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $91,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Alphabet in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.03% of the company's stock.

Key Alphabet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent stories highlight Alphabet’s AI and cloud momentum, including Google Cloud traction with enterprise customers like Jack Henry and growing use of Google’s cloud tech by Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo, which supports the bull case for future growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer argued that Alphabet still looks cheap, reinforcing a valuation-supportive narrative for GOOGL after its pullback. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with Wells Fargo keeping an overweight rating and multiple analysts maintaining buy recommendations, which may help support the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s insider selling by John Kent Walker appears routine and is not, by itself, a major fundamental concern for investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around Alphabet’s growing role in AI-powered shopping, robotaxis, and other ecosystem developments adds to the long-term story, but these are more thesis-supportive than immediate catalysts. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest drag is the EU Supreme Court decision upholding Alphabet’s €4.1 billion Android antitrust fine, which reinforces legal and regulatory overhangs for the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A separate Swedish court ruling ordered Alphabet to pay nearly $2 billion in a price-comparison dispute, adding to the sense that antitrust and competition risks remain active. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Alphabet

In other news, Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.28, for a total value of $39,343.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,615,656.24. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder 2019 Gp L.L.C. Gv sold 87,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.75, for a total transaction of $2,077,531.25. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 160,465 shares of company stock valued at $8,020,511. 11.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Alphabet Price Performance

GOOGL stock opened at $359.91 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $371.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $334.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $4.36 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.24. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $172.77 and a 52-week high of $408.61.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $2.47. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is 6.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Alphabet from $435.00 to $416.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $393.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of Alphabet from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $515.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Alphabet from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $413.54.

Alphabet Company 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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