Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL is S Bank Fund Management Ltd's 7th Largest Position

Key Points

• S Bank Fund Management Ltd trimmed its Alphabet stake by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, though the stock remained its 7th-largest holding at 2.9% of the portfolio. The position was still worth about $22.36 million at quarter-end.
• Alphabet reported strong Q1 results, posting EPS of $5.11 versus the $2.64 consensus estimate and revenue of $109.9 billion versus expectations of $106.98 billion. The company also posted high margins and analysts now expect $14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Investor sentiment remains upbeat on Alphabet’s AI growth story, with recent analyst target increases and positive commentary around Google Cloud, AI search products, and new AI ad formats. At the same time, the stock faces ongoing risks from antitrust appeals and execution issues at Waymo.

S Bank Fund Management Ltd cut its stake in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,449 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 11,840 shares during the period. Alphabet accounts for approximately 2.9% of S Bank Fund Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. S Bank Fund Management Ltd's holdings in Alphabet were worth $22,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Alphabet in the third quarter worth about $53,000. Kentucky Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 142.9% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Trust Co now owns 170 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. 40.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Price Performance

Shares of GOOGL opened at $382.97 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.26. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $337.75 and a 200 day moving average of $321.52. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $162.00 and a twelve month 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $2.47. The company had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.98 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 37.92% and a return on equity of 38.99%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is an increase from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is 6.41%.

Insider Activity at Alphabet

In related news, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 617 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.63, for a total transaction of $178,701.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 10,093 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,923,235.59. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.89, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 226,481 shares of company stock valued at $27,422,061 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 11.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GOOGL has been the subject of several recent research reports. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Arete Research lifted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $405.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $425.00 target price on shares of Alphabet and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $460.00 target price (up from $400.00) on shares of Alphabet in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price (up from $375.00) on shares of Alphabet in a 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $412.65.

Alphabet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet’s Q1 results were highlighted as one of the strongest among the Mag 7, with Google Cloud showing accelerating sales growth and broader AI momentum helping investor sentiment. Alphabet and NVIDIA: The Biggest Mag 7 Winners This Earnings Season
• Positive Sentiment: Google’s I/O announcements continued to reinforce Alphabet’s AI story, including new AI search experiences, agent tools, and upcoming AI glasses that suggest the company is expanding beyond traditional search. We tried Google's AI glasses and they're almost there
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on the stock, with multiple firms reiterating positive views and new AI ad formats seen as potentially boosting conversions and monetization in Search and Commerce. Alphabet's new AI ad formats seen boosting conversions and spending
• Positive Sentiment: Google unveiled a $15 billion Missouri data center investment, underscoring continued capital spending to support AI infrastructure and cloud demand. Google Unveils $15 Billion Missouri Data Center Investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles discussed Google’s revamped AI-driven search experience and agent ecosystem, which are strategically important but still too early to measure their near-term financial impact. Google is pitching an AI agent ecosystem to consumers who may not buy it
• Negative Sentiment: Waymo temporarily suspended service in multiple cities after robotaxis drove into flooded roads, adding another safety and execution concern for Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle unit. Waymo suspends freeway rides, pauses Atlanta operations amid safety fixes
• Negative Sentiment: Google’s appeal of the antitrust ruling remains the biggest overhang, since a loss or forced remedies could eventually weigh on the company’s core search and advertising economics. Google appeals US court ruling on search monopoly

About Alphabet

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.

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.