Alphabet Inc. $GOOGL Position Lowered by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management cut its Alphabet stake by 14.3% in the first quarter, selling 138,749 shares and leaving it with 832,437 shares worth about $239.4 million.
• Alphabet’s latest earnings topped expectations, with EPS of $5.11 versus the $2.64 consensus and revenue of $109.9 billion, while analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $413.13.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share from $0.21, and several recent insider sales were also disclosed, including transactions by John Kent Walker and director John L. Hennessy.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Free Report) by 14.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 832,437 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 138,749 shares during the quarter. Alphabet makes up about 2.4% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s holdings in Alphabet were worth $239,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price objective (down from $435.00) on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $515.00 price target on shares of Alphabet in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Alphabet from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $413.13.

Alphabet Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $345.04 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.18 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.32, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.23. Alphabet Inc. has a twelve month low of $167.55 and a twelve month high of $408.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $368.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.69.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company 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, equities analysts forecast that Alphabet Inc. will post 14.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given 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 dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Kent Walker sold 8,993 shares of the company'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 represents a 14.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Hennessy sold 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $393.26, for a total transaction of $412,923.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $995,341.06. This trade represents a 29.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 160,516 shares of company stock valued at $7,344,604. 11.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Alphabet

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alphabet will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Verizon, which is a prestige win and may attract new index demand. Alphabet replacing Verizon in Dow Jones Industrial Average index
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and recent coverage continue to highlight strong demand for Google Cloud and Alphabet’s AI infrastructure opportunities, reinforcing the long-term growth case. Alphabet Rides on Accelerating AI Infrastructure Demand: What's Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Google delayed the launch of Gemini 3.5 Pro to July while it continues tuning the model based on early feedback, which suggests progress but also a slower rollout than expected. Google delays Gemini 3.5 Pro launch to July as it tweaks its new frontier AI model
• Neutral Sentiment: Alphabet’s YouTube settled a lawsuit over alleged social-media harm to children, removing a legal overhang but without enough detail to gauge a major financial impact. Google's YouTube settles with plaintiff ahead of second California trial over social media harm to children, attorneys say
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that top AI researchers Jonas Adler and Alexander Pritzel are leaving Google for Anthropic add to concerns about talent retention and competition in frontier AI. AI researchers continue to leave Google for its rivals
• Negative Sentiment: Broader coverage also points to rising competition in AI search and fears that Google’s core search business could face pressure as users and rivals shift toward alternative AI-driven tools. Google's online dominance Is showing signs of cracking in AI era

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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